Reconstruction of the Tea-Serving Automaton in the Ancient Japanese Book “Karakuri Zui”

This research aims to trace back the historical origin of the ancient Japanese automaton tea-serving doll and clarify its operation method. By analyzing the original records in the book “Karakuri Zui”, the mechanical structure can be separated into six subsystems namely start-stop, speed-controlling, transmission, head-bowing, steering, and stepping mechanisms. The reconstruction is made through 3D modeling and simulation, and an unreasonable component illustrated in the original book is also pointed out. A process to select the main spring as the power source is also provided. Finally, a prototype of the reconstructed automaton is made to verify the movement characteristics and the feasibility of the presented reconstructed designs.