Ancient Japanese Robot (karakuri or からくり)
In the lovely town of Takayama, Japan you can find this karakuri or Japanese automaton from a few hundred years ago. The puppet/robot is situated over the water drain that runs down the street so that during a rain storm the water rushing under this device will bring the puppet to life. It is essentially a water-powered robot.
The signs below the puppet say “Please don’t touch, even if it isn’t moving.” and “This karakuri runs on water so it is rare that it is actually moving.” The sign above the puppet says it is from the Edo Jidai (江戸時代 or 1603-1868).