Vaucanson was enticed by the idea of creating an artificial human being.
But his goal seemed too far-fetched. So he altered his dream: He built a duck.

Vaucanson's most famous creation was undoubtedly "The Duck." This mechanical beast could flap its wings, eat, digest grain and excrete the remains in a "natural" way.
The figure of the duck was produced full size of gilt brass in a simplified form, the body pierced with openings to permit the public to observe the process of digestion.

Each wing contained over four hundred moving parts, which were concealed, some inside the duck, and some in the base on which the bird stood.

Vaucanson's work, his genious for designing gave birth to new ideas, which represent important progress in the devlopment of technology.

He was also the first to use a rubber hose. In his search for a suitable material for the duck's digestive canal, de Vaucanson came across the reports left by his compatriot Charles Marie de la Condamine about the remarkable material cautchouc, which he had discovered on the Amazon River during his expedition to South America in 1731.

The original Duck has disappeared.
But, there is a replica of Vaucanson's famous duck made by a clock-maker from Chambery. Click on the image below to see illustration "Hommage à Vaucanson", from a postcard available at the museum from Grenoble.