Spotted: Ancient robot blueprint

This rare manuscript was published in 1796. It contains instructions on how to make karakuri ningyo, the clockwork dolls regarded as Japan's first robots.

I was surprised to stumble upon it at a very interesting place in Nagano called the Matsumoto Timepiece Museum. Opened in 2002, the museum has over 300 classic timepieces including Chinese, British, German and French clocks, marine chronometers, pocket watches, and clocks from Japan's Edo period (1600-1867), known as wadokei. The latter include some rather exotic shaku-dokei (pillar clocks) and candle clocks.

The manuscript is called Karakuri Zui (sometimes read as Kikou Zui) or "Illustrated Machinery." It was written by Hanzo Hosokawa, a mechanical engineer, astronomer and inventor from the domain of Tosa on Shikoku Island. The three-volume treatise details how to make four kinds of wadokei clocks and nine types of karakuri dolls including the famous tea-serving doll. Known as Japan's oldest mechanical engineering manuscript, the book has meticulously written notes on how to dress the dolls in kimono.

In Japan, proper engineering has always looked good - even in 1796.