A SIMPLE KEY FOR AGILEX UNVEILED

In France, between 1738 and 1739, Jacques de Vaucanson exhibited a number of life-sized automatons: a flute player, a pipe player plus a duck. The mechanical duck could flap its wings, crane its neck, and swallow meals through the exhibitor's hand, and it gave the illusion of digesting its meals by excreting issue stored in a concealed compartment.