Drawmaton is a Da Vinci-inspired programmable wooden robot that can draw

Think you’re a bit of a retro-computing nut because you’ve got a dusty ZX Spectrum in a drawer? Amateur. With Drawmaton (from $99), tech goes all the way back to the Renaissance. This oddball sort-of computer comprises gears, an arm that draws, and wooden discs called ‘petalos’ that drive the scribbles the system makes. According to the creator, it’s all based on drawings found in Da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus, and is therefore a recreation of the world’s first programmable computer. To be fair, given that it’s 500-year-old tech, you can’t fire up Jet Set Willy on the thing; but there are at least plans to unleash an app that allows you to expand your one-armed robot’s capabilities, by way of your own scribbles that can be converted into home-made custom petalos.

Craig Grannell Contributor

About

I’m a regular contributor to Stuff magazine and Stuff.tv, covering apps, games, Apple kit, Android, Lego, retro gaming and other interesting oddities. I also pen opinion pieces when the editor lets me, getting all serious about accessibility and predicting when sentient AI smart cookware will take over the world, in a terrifying mix of Bake Off and Terminator.

Areas of expertise

Mobile apps and games, Macs, iOS and tvOS devices, Android, retro games, crowdfunding, design, how to fight off an enraged smart saucepan with a massive stick.