Mechanical computing platforms could operate where it isn't possible to use silicon chips.

The invention of the computer is often articulated like a three-act play: the idea of the computer arrives, then there is the process of how to make the computer and, finally, there is the creation.

A steel bar pivots. A spring stretches. Then, with a small shove, the whole setup flips into a new state and stays there until the next push. That simple motion sits at the heart of a mechanical ...