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The History of Science and Technology from the Collections of The Franklin Institute Science Museum
The Franklin Institute logo Made possible by: Unisys

History of Science and Technology

Curse of the Automaton?

The Automaton

Maillardet's Automaton, one of the earliest robots, is said to be cursed. Can a mechanical wonder be a murderer? Learn about the automaton and decide for yourself.

POLL: Can an object carry a curse?
Yes
No
Unsure

The Franklin Institute's collection of artifacts help tell the story of the history of science and technology. We present pieces of our collection online to inspire curiosity.

Ben Franklin


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Flight


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Recreation


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Computing


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Instrumentation


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Space


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Electricity


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Photography


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Weather


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Visit the Case Files
 

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