automaton

Mechanical figure imitating human or animal performance. Automatons are usually designed for aesthetic appeal as opposed to purely functional robots. The writings of Ctesibius of Alexandria in the 3nd century BC show that in his time there was already a long tradition of building automata, such as model birds that sang or flapped their wings. A Chinese emperor of about 500 BC was reputed to have had a wooden horse moved by springs. Building automata has been one of the most challenging applications of advanced engineering skills up to the modern era of robots.