| Jacques De Vaucanson |
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Information AboutJacques De Vaucanson |
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Early life He was born in and later joined the Order Of The Minims in Lyon . It was his intention at the time to follow a course of religious studies, but he regained his interest in mechanical devices after meeting the surgeon Le Cat, from whom he would learn the details of anatomy. This new knowledge allowed him to develop his first mechanical devices that mimicked biological vital functions such as circulation, respiration, and digestion {Link without Title} . Career as Inventor of Automatons In 1737 , he built his first Automaton , ''The Flute Player'', a life-size figure of a shepherd that played the Tabor and the pipe and had a repertoire of twelve songs. The following year, in early 1738 , he presented his creation to the Académie Des Sciences {Link without Title} . At the time, mechanical creatures were somewhat a fad in Europe , but most could be classified as toys, and de Vaucanson's creations were recognized as being revolutionary in their mechanical life-like sophistication. Later that year, he created two additional automatons, ''The Tambourine Player'' and ''. His inventions brought him to the attention of Frederick II Of Prussia , who sought to bring him to his court. Vaucanson refused, however, wishing to serve his own country {Link without Title} . Appointment to French Government In 1741 he was appointed by Cardinal Fleury , chief minister of Louis XV , as inspector of the manufacture of Silk in France . He was charged with undertaking reforms of the silk manufacturing process. At the time, the French weaving industry had fallen behind that of England and Scotland . Vaucanson promoted wide-ranging changes for automation of the weaving process. In 1745 , he created the world's first completely automated loom. {Link without Title} . Vaucanson was busy automating the French Textile industry with Punch Cards - a technology that, as refined by Joseph-Marie Jacquard more than a half century later, would revolutionize weaving and, in the twentieth century, would be used to input Data into computers and store information in Binary form. His proposals were not well received by weavers, however, and many of the more revolutionary ones were largely ignored. He invented several Machine Tool s, such as the first fully documented, all metal Slide Rest Lathe , around 1751 (Though Derry & Williams, ''A short History of Technology,'' place this invention around 1768). It was described in the Encyclopédie . In 1746 , he was made a member of the Académie Des Sciences {Link without Title} . Legacy He died in Paris in 1782 . Vaucanson left a collection of his work as a bequest to Louis XVI . The collection would become the foundation of the Conservatoire Des Arts Et Métiers in Paris . His original automatons have all been lost. The flute player and the tambourine player were reportedly destroyed in the Revolution . His proposals for the automation of the weaving process, although ignored during his lifetime, were later perfected and implemented by Joseph Marie Jacquard , the creator of the Jacquard Loom . Lycee Vaucanson in Grenoble is named in his honor, and trains students for careers in engineering and technical fields. See also References
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