Before revision: A postulated interior of the Duck of Vaucanson (1738–1739) 150px|Pinocchio automaton An automaton (; : automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions.
After revision: Clockwork crayfish automoton, made in Augsburg 1589, Technical Instrument Museum, DresdenA postulated interior of the Duck of Vaucanson (1738–1739) 150px|Pinocchio automaton An automaton (; : automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions.