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The 18th Century robot that could play a flute

In 1738, people in Paris queued to see the amazing flute-playing automaton - designed and built by Jacques Vaucanson. Simon Shaffer, Professor of History of Science at Cambridge University in the UK, explores how Vaucanson's work changed the way scientists and philosophers thought about the human body.

(Image: Flute, Credit: Getty Images.)

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2 minutes