A pair of LEGO lookouts

Meerkats are pretty incredible little creatures. They live in tight-knit family groups and are known for fearlessly defending each other from predators. When they are old enough, every family member takes a turn at keeping watch. This wonderful sculpture by Andreas Weißenburg is a lovely tribute to those exceptional lookouts.

Automatic meerkats 3

What’s even more impressive is that these sentinels actually move their heads from side to side, scanning the horizon. The inner mechanisms are simple, but clever and efficient. It involves two continuous belts catching and turning gears at different times. The resulting movement really brings them to life!

1 comment on “A pair of LEGO lookouts

  1. Purple Dave

    Meerkats may look cute (and Timon made them famous), but OMG they smell like a toilet. I remember going to a zoo once and it seemed like they had a Meerkat display in every building (including the Reptile house, which really makes you wonder if they found an alternative use for all the extra meerkats), and you pretty much got smacked in the face with the smell every time you walked past one. They have since been relocated to an outdoor pen.

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