Five Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements

Abstract

F ive Hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements is a classic little jewel of moving mechanisms, a valuable resource for anyone who is building robots. When first published in 1868, this book offered the pre-Internet world a collection of the greatest moving devices of the time, gathered together in one small readable volume. Reissued in 1995, this book is still being used and enjoyed. Although there is a great deal of innovation happening now in software, every robot that has to act in the world requires mechanisms, and this book provides them. You will find reading this book enjoyable, if just for its historical value alone. In fact, you don’t have to have a technical background to understand the descriptions, although it will remind those with engineering backgrounds of school-days learning and provide innovative variations that might not have been thought of. On the historical side, the book includes the latest discoveries of the time, such as C.R. Otis’s safety stop for the elevator and Pickering’s governor for a steam engine. However, the book also has a great deal of useful information for the robotics field. It includes 507 clearly labeled and numbered pictures that correspond to the numbered descriptions of many of the important mechanisms used in robot construction. Each mechanism is clearly drawn, illustrating how the parts fit together. Then, the picture’s description explains how the mechanism works and also tells what kind of motion is produced. This method of organizing lends itself well to be used as a quick reference or inspiration during the design process. Some examples of the many types of mechanisms you will find are brakes, blowers, cams, compasses, couplings, cranks, differential movements, ejectors, engines, escapements, gauges, gearing, governors, gyroscopes, various types of hammers, hydraulics, hooks, ladders, levels, pantographs, pendulums, pinions, presses, pulleys, pumps, rack and pinions, ratchets, regulators, rollers, screws, shears, stops, toggles, wheels, windlasses, and wipers—to name just a few! As some examples of the level of detail included, there are 23 different kinds of pulleys, each providing a unique solution to a particular kind of pulley movement you might need. The gear section is quite detailed, with many varieties for circular motion, such as transmission of circular motion, reciprocating motion, planetary motion, clutch boxes, and transmitting different speeds. Each of the categories l isted above includes multiple variations, so that you can find a very specific design. The book gives a few simple numerical calculation methods at times, but math is not emphasized. The real value of this book is in seeing the clear drawings and reading the precise explanations of exactly how motion is expressed by each type of mechanism. You will find solutions to meet the many kinds of movement situations you need for your robot thanks to all of the finegrained variations this book includes. And in the process of enjoying a journey through history, you just might find the creative solution you are looking for. We highly recommend this practical and fun little book! —Reviewed by C. Alexander Simpkins, Ph.D., and Annellen M. Simpkins, Ph.D., San Diego, California