A Crank-operated Mechanical Duck

One of history's most celebrated automatons was Jacques de Vaucanson's mechanical Duck from the mid 1700's.
​(click HERE to read more).

"without...the duck of Vaucanson, you will have nothing to remind you of the glory of France"
-Voltaire

I'm interested in the idea of an automaton that moves so realistically it seems to be alive.  The Mechanical Duck is an opportunity to work on realistic, detailed movement.
​
#999999
A duck
#666666
Vaucanson
#999999
A drum player, the Duck, a flute player
element_settings.Image_30621876.default
What was left of the Duck in the late 1800's
Five Phases:
  1. Wings  (finished)
  2. Neck  (finished)
  3. Body and Tail
  4. Driving Mechanism
  5. Programing

Ongoing photos & video of ​the project here: