I saw this (episode 1) and episode 2 a few days ago. At the end of episode 1 I was left pretty skeptical that he'd ever get this contraption working well, but the solution he shows in episode 2 completely flipped my expectations and looks aesthetically incredible.
(He makes his own very thin brass coil springs to run the cables through.)
(He makes his own very thin brass coil springs to run the cables through.)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=grgIhw1YbHw
Episode 2 link for others' reference:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rhjJjDWMQOw&pp=ugUEEgJlbg%3D%3...
The magnetic hands were such a cool idea, and the way he builds the springs for the bowden cables in ep 2, gorgeous!
Automata are marvels of engineering. They're similar to computer programs, except their creators are expert artisans of both hardware and "software".
For anyone interested in this topic, I highly recommend the BBC documentary "Mechanical Marvels: Clockwork Dreams"[1].
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMDFRwxCSwA