How did Clockwork work?

Instead of using electricity stored chemically in batteries, they relied on windup power and clockwork mechanisms. Clockwork has certainly stood the test of time: the earliest clockwork device, known as the Antikythera mechanism, dates from ancient Greece and is thought to be at least 2000 years old.

What is a wind up clock?

A key (or crown) you wind to add energy. A spiral spring to store the energy you add with the key. (Pendulum clocks store energy with weights that rise and fall, but other clocks and windup wristwatches use springs instead.) A set of gears through which the spring's energy is released.

How do flywheel energy storage systems work?

Flywheel energy storage systems operate on the principle of storing kinetic energy in a rapidly spinning mass. During regular operation, the flywheel spins and stores energy. In the event of a power disruption, the stored kinetic energy is rapidly converted back into electricity, providing an instantaneous and reliable power source.

How does A Clockwork tank work?

Something like a clockwork tank would use gears the opposite way so it can climb over obstacles: in this case, the wheels (or tracks) would take power from the spring, step down the speed, and generate more climbing force at the same time (like the low gears you'd use on a bicycle or a car for climbing a hill).

What does a clockwork machine do?

A set of gears through which the spring's energy is released. The gears control how quickly (or slowly) a clockwork machine can do things, but they also control how much force it can produce (for climbing inclines, perhaps). A mechanism the gears drive that makes the device do useful or interesting things.

How do clockwork mechanisms work?

Clockwork mechanisms use gears in both these ways. In a pocket watch, gears transform the speed of a rotating shaft so it drives the second hand at one speed, the minute hand at 1/60 that speed, and the hour hand at 1/3600 the speed.