Jacquard's looms The French inventor Joseph Jacquard (1752-1834) introduced one of the most controversial and influential devices of modern times: The automatic weaving loom. The loom was programmable, by punch cards, making the presence of a human weaver unnecessary, and leading to the weaver's revolution. picture Jacquard loom Although many looms were burnt, automated weaving survived, and the core idea: the use of punched cards for controlling a process, was picked up by Charles Babbage in the design of his analytical engine.