Automaton links to Scorsese's 'Hugo'

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210-year-old automaton from at The Franklin Institute science museum in Philadelphia.

Martin Scorsese's movie "Hugo" has started the most recent wave of interest in the automaton. The automaton shown here is from The Franklin Institute science museum in Philadelphia and is approximately 210-years-old.

Charles Penniman, 83, is the caretaker of the approximately 210-year-old automaton at The Franklin Institute science museum in Philadelphia. In the 3D film "Hugo," set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.

The inner workings of an approximately 210-year-old automaton are shown at The Franklin Institute science museum in Philadelphia.

Side view of the approximately 210-year-old automaton's head.

The mechanized doll is animated by a complex system of spring-driven motors and brass cams.

This close up shows the hand and pen of the approximately 210-year-old automaton. The mechanized doll can write three poems and draw four pictures

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Martin Scorsese's movie "Hugo" has started the most recent wave of interest in the automaton. The automaton shown here is from The Franklin Institute science museum in Philadelphia and is approximately 210-years-old.

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