An articulated archer automaton [video]

A maker named Oliver Pett dropped a two-part saga about his ambitious archer automaton, and the crowd went from eye-rolls to applause. Episode 1 had people unsure this little Robin Hood would ever draw, load, and fire smoothly. By Episode 2, the tide flipped: viewers were stunned by a clever redesign featuring magnetic hands to grab arrows and handmade brass spring guides that tame the cables (think the sheaths around bike brake wires). The vibe? “We doubted—and then we gasped.”

Fans raved about the craftsmanship: gtm1260’s “incredible detail” energy lit up the thread, while oatsandsugar declared it “like Clickspring for automata,” invoking the beloved precision-tool channel. The aesthetic glow-up—those paper-thin brass coils and graceful motion—became the star of the show, with mikkupikku confessing their expectations were completely flipped.

Any drama? Mostly the good kind: the classic internet arc from skepticism to standing ovation. A thoughtful crowd side-quest sparked too—imiric compared automata to programs, praising makers as artists of both hardware and “software.” That sent folks hunting for nerd candy like the BBC’s Mechanical Marvels: Clockwork Dreams. Jokes flew about the archer “aiming for the algorithm,” and playful memes crowned the magnetic hands the real MVP. Bottom line: it’s not just a tiny archer—it’s a tiny redemption story, and the comments are here for it.