Attributed to Freres Rochat, a 19th century Swiss workshop specializing in automata, these “Singing Bird Pistols” are not only extremely rare – they are feats of craftsmanship and engineering.

The pistols sold for $5,841,610 on May 30, 2011, a price tag that Christie’s claims is the “highest result for an individual lot sold at any watch auction in Asia”, although I’m not sure why the pistols were included in a watch auction.

[via Boing Boing]

Little Big Man 2008 is the offspring of mechanical sculptor Nemo Gould, known for his incredible kinetic creations built from post-consumer junk.

The eponymous “Big Man” is an 8-foot tall robot made from found objects including a vintage radio cabinet, street lamp poles, vacuum cleaner parts, industrial food processor, antlers, chair legs, dining room table top, floor polisher, and a variety of scrap metal, motors and other parts.

The “Little Man” lives inside the belly of the beast, working at the controls of his unwitting host. As he pulls his levers, the giant’s mouth opens and closes with an imposing bite. Check out the video clip below to see the robotic sculpture in motion.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Nemo has put together a brief video showing some of the behind-the-scenes action as he builds his amazing mechanical creations.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The automata was built especially for the San Jose Museum of Art’s “Robots: Evolution of a Cultural Icon” show, which runs from now through October 19, 2008. If you happen to be in the Bay Area, be sure to check it out in person.

[via The Automata via Walyou]