"In the field of robotics or mechanical engineering, the ability to create a moving part without any welding removes a lot of the barriers to prototyping, " Martins said.

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Paul Spooner specialises in a field known as 'mechanical automata'.

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Police have been using mechanical diggers to excavate the corner of a field near the Oxfordshire-Gloucestershire border in their hunt for the second body.

BBC: Sian O��Callaghan

"This exhibition is a must see for those wanting to get close to the cream of this field, "says Laurence Fisher, Director of the Mechanical Music and Technical Apparatus Department at Bonhams Auctioneers.

FORBES

Researchers in the field use the acronym MEMS, for micro-electro-mechanical systems.

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In an emerging field called digital manufacturing, 3D printers enable the production of physical mechanical devices, medical implants, jewelry, and even clothing.

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Just as Abraham-Louis Breguet was a founding father of mechanical watchmaking, his great-great grandson, Louis-Charles Breguet, achieved similar fame in the aviation field.

FORBES: Breguet Pays Tribute to Its Aviation Watch Heritage With a New Exhibition.