Invention of the Stirling engine is credited to the Scottish clergyman Rev. Robert Stirling 1816. He was later assisted in its development by his engineer brother James Stirling.

The inventors sought to create a safer alternative to the steam engines of the time, whose boilers often exploded due to the high pressure of the steam and the inadequate materials. Stirling engines will convert any sufficient temperature difference directly into movement.

Each of the models seen here were hand machined from aluminum, steel, brass, graphite and other (sometimes rather hard to work) materials. Stirling engines are notoriously difficult to create from scratch as they depend on fine balances in order to work properly. These operating models represent years of machining time and attention to detail. -- Created by Rick Abbott of The Robot Group Inc. in Austin, TX.

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The Robot Group

Created by members of The Robot Group Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation founded in the Spring of 1989 by a small group of Austin, TX artists and engineers who share a common vision: utilizing technology to create and explore new mediums for art.

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