Humans have been experimenting with automatons for centuries, but it is only we moderns who have worried about the consequences. The Greeks saw nothing to fear from artificial life. In their mythology ...

New versions range from ‘disruptive’ models like Jaquet Droz’s Rolling Stones watch to idyllic scenes from Van Cleef & Arpels. By Kathleen Beckett Ask some experts what an automaton is in the watch ...