Clockwork energy storage mechanical structure

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 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.

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).

Can mechanical energy be stored statically?

Mechanical energy can be stored statically in conventional mechanical springs made of steel, but displays a low gravimetric energy density (GED) of ∼ 1.4 × 10 −4 MJ kg −1 (ref. 7). Less compact mechanisms for reversibly storing high energy densities include pumped hydroelectricity, compressed gases and carbon T1000 flywheels 8.

What is the role of energy storage devices in a flexible electronic system?

In the integrated flexible electronic system, energy storage devices 14, 16 - 20 play important roles in connecting the preceding energy harvesting devices and the following energy utilization devices ( Figure 1 ).