There are previous posts on Theo Jansen's work, but if you haven't seen it it is worth looking through the site he now has
here where there are details of how these work and further information.
Unit B Responsive Architecture was a 2nd and 3rd year vertical degree unit at Oxford Brookes University.
We are concerned with site sensitive architecture that relates to its time and place, continuously adjusting, responding and reacting to fit itself to the present state of its environment and inhabitants. Nothing stays still. Indeed the only constant could be said to be change itself. It seems that reaction and interaction are pre-requisites for inhabiting an environment and sheltering occupants in such a level of flux. Why therefore should architecture be static?