Embankment-machine
Encyclopedia
The Embankment-machine was an automated machine used by the Martians in The War of the Worlds
by H.G. Wells.
.
When the Martians are on the move, either the Embankment-machine is abandoned or taken with them to work elsewhere.
. The machine here is portrayed as a mechanical Earthworm
that feeds the soil into a mouth-like intake rather than actually digging, and moves about on several mechanical feet like a Centipede
. Several of these are seen at the main Martian camp in London
, left abandoned as the Martians succumb to the Earth's bacteria.
Another version appears in the 1998 PC Game
based on Jeff Wayne's adaption
. This Digging Mechanism was a bulky, four-legged machine whose purpose was to build defensive fortifications and related structures. Unlike the novel's version though, this machine does not seem to be automated.
No form of this autonomous alien machine has appeared in any film adaptations
, but in War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave
, a sequel to The Asylum
's 2005 low-budget film H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, the Tripods, known as squid-walkers, are not controlled from the inside, but move at their own will. However, these machines are described as cybernetic life forms
, not autonomous machines.
The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds is an 1898 science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells.The War of the Worlds may also refer to:- Radio broadcasts :* The War of the Worlds , the 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles...
by H.G. Wells.
Description
The machine is featured only once in the novel in very little detail. Rather than describe its appearance, Wells describes it as an excavator used to widen the pits where the Cylinders landed. Wells explains that the machine itself has no pilot or a form of cockpit, and that it appears to be a form of automatonAutomaton
An automaton is a self-operating machine. The word is sometimes used to describe a robot, more specifically an autonomous robot. An alternative spelling, now obsolete, is automation.-Etymology:...
.
When the Martians are on the move, either the Embankment-machine is abandoned or taken with them to work elsewhere.
In other adaptations
The Embankment-machine has been featured in the graphic novel by Dark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
. The machine here is portrayed as a mechanical Earthworm
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
that feeds the soil into a mouth-like intake rather than actually digging, and moves about on several mechanical feet like a Centipede
Centipede
Centipedes are arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda of the subphylum Myriapoda. They are elongated metameric animals with one pair of legs per body segment. Despite the name, centipedes can have a varying number of legs from under 20 to over 300. Centipedes have an odd number of pairs of...
. Several of these are seen at the main Martian camp in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, left abandoned as the Martians succumb to the Earth's bacteria.
Another version appears in the 1998 PC Game
Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds
Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds is a title used for two 1998 video games published by GT Interactive. The first is a real-time strategy game developed by Rage Software Limited for the PC...
based on Jeff Wayne's adaption
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds is a 1978 concept album by Jeff Wayne, retelling the story of The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. Its format is progressive rock and string orchestra, using narration and leitmotifs to carry the story via rhyming melodic lyrics that express...
. This Digging Mechanism was a bulky, four-legged machine whose purpose was to build defensive fortifications and related structures. Unlike the novel's version though, this machine does not seem to be automated.
No form of this autonomous alien machine has appeared in any film adaptations
The War of the Worlds (film)
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, in film, may refer to:*The War of the Worlds , a 1953 film produced by George Pal, and directed by Byron Haskin for Paramount Pictures...
, but in War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave
War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave
War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave is a 2008 direct-to-DVD science fiction film starring and directed by C. Thomas Howell....
, a sequel to The Asylum
The Asylum
The Asylum is an American film studio and distributor which focuses on producing low-budget, usually direct-to-video productions. The studio has produced titles that capitalize on productions by major studios; these titles have been dubbed "mockbusters" by the press.-History:The Asylum was founded...
's 2005 low-budget film H. G. Wells' War of the Worlds, the Tripods, known as squid-walkers, are not controlled from the inside, but move at their own will. However, these machines are described as cybernetic life forms
Cybernetics
Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory, at least in its first-order form...
, not autonomous machines.
External links
- Martian Technology Analysis Report - Detail on the workings of the Embankment-machine/Digging Machine