Efim Shargorodsky has had a love of gadgets and tinkering since he was a child. Before leaving Russia, Efim studied the art of jewelry making and for 25 years owned a jewelry store in Philadelphia, PA. While working in his store, Efim became interested in mechanical devices and automata, which for the last 10 years became his biggest passion. After work he would spend his time taking apart technical apparatus to see how they worked and he is entirely self-taught. Every piece is hand made in his shop.

Alex Livshits has over 40 years of experience in mechanical engineering and machine building. From an early age, Alex took pleasure in taking apart all kinds of mechanical devises and in his late adolescence became interested in clockwork mechanisms. He would restore and repair clocks from different eras. Through the years he developed a growing interest in automata and in 2007, after meeting Efim, he decided to follow his passion and embark on a new venture.