On a side note...Steve was on path to be a dentist in a galaxy far away. I used his articulator as the basis for an "Alien" Mardi Gras costume where I rigged the teeth up with a contractor bag and some Styrofoam. His was pretty similar to the pic Red posted on the right, and I had the metal rod part shoved down my pants and used a belt around my torso to stabilize the top part of the rod. Add an over-sized button up shirt and I had something akin to:
It is used to replicate the precise motion of the human jaw in order for people to make crowns, bridges, etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articulator