Mechanical Turk (chess-playing automaton)

The Mechanical Turk was a famous 18th-century chess-playing machine presented as an automaton that could play against human opponents. In reality, it was a hoax that concealed a human chess master inside the machine. The device used mechanical parts to create the illusion of an autonomous robot, but a hidden human operator controlled the moves. This combination of mechanical illusion and human skill captivated audiences and influenced ideas about automation and artificial intelligence, highlighting the blend of technology and human ingenuity in entertainment and innovation.