Mechanical Computing Systems Using Only Links and Rotary Joints

• Published in 2018
• Added on 2018-01-30

A new paradigm for mechanical computing is demonstrated that requires only two basic parts, links and rotary joints. These basic parts are combined into two main higher level structures, locks and balances, and suffice to create all necessary combinatorial and sequential logic required for a Turing-complete computational system. While working systems have yet to be implemented using this new paradigm, the mechanical simplicity of the systems described may lend themselves better to, e.g., microfabrication, than previous mechanical computing designs. Additionally, simulations indicate that if molecular-scale implementations could be realized, they would be far more energy-efficient than conventional electronic computers.

Links

• http://arxiv.org/abs/1801.03534v1
• http://arxiv.org/pdf/1801.03534v1

Other information

BibTeX entry

@article{MechanicalComputingSystemsUsingOnlyLinksandRotaryJoints,
	key = {MechanicalComputingSystemsUsingOnlyLinksandRotaryJoints},
	type = {article},
	title = {Mechanical Computing Systems Using Only Links and Rotary Joints},
	author = {Ralph C. Merkle and Robert A. Freitas Jr. and Tad Hogg and Thomas E. Moore and Matthew S. Moses and James Ryley},
	abstract = {A new paradigm for mechanical computing is demonstrated that requires only
two basic parts, links and rotary joints. These basic parts are combined into
two main higher level structures, locks and balances, and suffice to create all
necessary combinatorial and sequential logic required for a Turing-complete
computational system. While working systems have yet to be implemented using
this new paradigm, the mechanical simplicity of the systems described may lend
themselves better to, e.g., microfabrication, than previous mechanical
computing designs. Additionally, simulations indicate that if molecular-scale
implementations could be realized, they would be far more energy-efficient than
conventional electronic computers.},
	comment = {},
	date_added = {2018-01-30},
	date_published = {2018-04-10},
	urls = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1801.03534v1,http://arxiv.org/pdf/1801.03534v1},
	collections = {Basically computer science,Things to make and do,Unusual computers},
	url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1801.03534v1 http://arxiv.org/pdf/1801.03534v1},
	year = 2018,
	urldate = {2018-01-30},
	archivePrefix = {arXiv},
	eprint = {1801.03534},
	primaryClass = {cs.ET}
}