Marvin Niebuhr (aka Professor Conrad) used to come up with the most whimsical ideas for mechanical contraptions, e.g, The Rocking Raven, and other devices (All, Hail! The Giant Brain!).
He regaled us with stories about Rogue Biomechanicals, Dioxahol, and Marcos the Wise.
He has retired to Lubbock, TX but still continues to create art from wood and stone. Ever the storyteller, he is working on The New Adventures of Marcos the Wise.