Automata Toys

​Automata are mechanical toys that use cams, levers, and linkages to create motion. They offer a fun and creative way to explore STEM, engineering design, and storytelling. On this page, you’ll find examples, resources, and kits to help you or your students start building your own automata!

The objective is to design and create an automata toy that will move when it is cranked. 

Instructions: 

1. PLAN! (200 points) - Sketch your ideas! Come up with 4 possible ideas and label what you could make/invent. 
2. Research- (200 points)- Provide 4 websites/video links that help you with your idea. Provide an exact link, not www.google.com (these websites should show you how to complete your project) 
3. EXPLAIN!- (200 points) Write 200 words or more on why you are making what you are making. What gave you the idea? How are you going to go construct this project? Explain what is making your Automata move (i.e. gears, pulleys, cams, etc) 
4. CREATE!- (800 points)- Make your project and take at least 3 photos of your creation and submit to Google Classroom. 

*You can make your automata toy out of cardboard.*

Examples of simple box automata toys below: 

Resources:
Battery Toys: The Modern Automata
​Cabaret Mechanical Movement: Understanding Movement and Making Automata
Automata and Mechanical Toys
Making Simple Automata

Videos

⚙️ Must-Have Supplies and Books for Making Automata Toys

Bring cams, cranks, linkages, and motion to life with automata books, building materials, wooden kits, and precision tools that help students design moving toys and mechanical art.

⭐ Best Book Pick

Making Moving Toys and Automata

A strong starting point for understanding mechanisms, movement, materials, and traditional automata design.

□ Mechanism Study

Automata and Mechanical Toys

Helpful for exploring classic toy mechanisms and how movement can be translated into character and story.

□ Paper Mechanisms

Karakuri: Mechanical Paper Models

Great for cams, cranks, levers, and paper-based automata that are classroom friendly and highly visual.

□️ Beginner Build

Beginner Automata Kits

A fast way to introduce movement, linkages, and crank-driven mechanisms before students design their own.

□ Wooden Models

Wooden Automata Kits

Perfect for studying crank motion, repeated movement, and how structure supports mechanism.

□ Build Material

Basswood Sheets and Strips

Great for frames, cams, supports, and lightweight moving parts in student automata builds.

□ Fast Prototypes

Cardboard Building Supplies

Perfect for quick mockups, classroom-safe mechanism experiments, and low-cost redesign cycles.

□ Axles and Cranks

Wood Dowels and Rods

Essential for crank handles, rotating shafts, followers, and moving linkages.

⚙️ Mechanism Parts

Small Gears and Pulleys Kits

Helpful for students experimenting beyond simple cams into more complex motion systems.

□ Fine Assembly

Precision Tweezers

Useful for placing tiny moving parts, spacers, and decorative pieces cleanly.

□ Clean Glue Work

Precision Glue and Applicators

Great for neat joints, light parts, and avoiding glue mess around moving components.

□ Design and Test

Engineering Design Notebooks

Perfect for sketching cams, planning movement, documenting failures, and recording redesigns.

⚙️ Shop All Automata Toy Making Supplies