Revolutionary Automatons, Our New Pandemic Intimates

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There are curios called bird boxes, or singing automaton bird cages, which were popular in the late 18th, 19th to mid 20th centuries. These were music boxes, but featured artificial caged birds which would chirp real-sounding bird songs. They are charming, yet disturbing, and were mainly popular among wealthy people in Germany, Switzerland, France, and America.

VINTAGE REUGE CAPODIMONTE SINGING BIRD CAGE AUTOMATON MUSIC BOX (14 October 2015). Video Source: Youtube.

Bird boxes were invented in Geneva in the mid-1780s by Pierre Jaquet-Droz (1721-1790); these mechanical automatons were once the mark of cutting edge technology from the revolutionary era. In late 19th century France, artificial mechanical life forms were an objet d'art of great importance. One of the most 20th century famous bird box makers was a German music box specialist, Karl Griesbaum. Bird boxes sell on eBay for USD $700-$2000. See related Websites, here, here, and here.

A French pre-revolutionary artefact from 1772, restored in 1864: Joueuse de Tympanon - automate (6 October 2006). Video Source: Youtube.

From the late 19th century, Industrial Revolution: Nancy - The Automaton (12 May 2007). Video Source: Youtube.

It is an odd fact that in revolutionary times, people become obsessed with imitating life using mechanized entities - dolls, golems, robots, androids - or in our case, AI consciousnesses. In the video below, note the creepy anthropomorphization of mobile phones and pandemic tagging and tracking apps, referred to as cousins of Hanson Robotics' gnostic fembot Sophia. The interview also suggests that phones, computers and robots are our new intimate friends as we humans are forced to social distance from one another.

Pandemic Revolution? Sophia Life: Interview with AI Researcher Tina White (7 May 2020). Video Source: Youtube.

Sophia the Robot Gives a Glimpse of What's to Come in 2020 #Sophia2020 (14 January 2020). Video Source: Youtube.

In 2018, the film, Bird Box, borrowed the name of revolutionary singing bird automaton collectables to describe people surrounded by deadly paranormal entities. Only caged birds, which provided a warning against approaching monsters, prevented people from committing suicide.

Bird Box | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix (24 October 2018). Video Source: Youtube.