In 1990, he began building large mechanisms out of PVC that are able to move on their own and, collectively, are titled Strandbeest.

Some of his creations are reported to incorporate primitive logic gates for collision detection with obstacles such as the sea.

In 1979 Jansen started using cheap PVC pipes to build a 4-metre (13 ft)-wide flying saucer that was filled with helium.

Jansen's painting machine was developed in 1984–86 in Delft, and it was a somewhat larger project than his flying saucer.

This machine was also attached to a large piece of wood that was hoisted against a wall, where it would move back and forth to create 2-D images of everything in the room.

All of his models are based on a system of triangles and connecting links which convert the rotation of an axle into a stepping motion of six or more legs.

What was at first a rudimentary "breed" has evolved slowly, with the help of evolutionary computation techniques,[5] into a generation of kinetic sculptures that can react to their environment to some degree.