Automatic Servant of Philon

The servant of Philon is a humanoid robot from the 3rd century BC designed to pour and mix wine and water whenever a cup was placed in the statues hand. The robot first pours the wine, and then dilutes it with water, using pipes hidden within the robot leading up its arm and into its central chamber, around where the stomach would be. Flow is started or stopped by opening and releasing air valves above the fluid reservoirs, which allowed or prevented flow by causing a vacuum. Placing the cup into the robot's hand would cause the arm to lower and the air valves to open; as it poured the robot would lower and eventually the air valve would close again. 

Image and Information Source: http://kotsanas.com/gb/exh.php?exhibit=0401001

No Author. "The Automatic Servant of Philon" Kotsanas Museum. Retrieved 8 March 2018

Associated Place(s)

Event date:

circa. 300