Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2016/08/02/11373076-to-1-gear-reduction.html
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A less patient person could use it to power a dental drill with a heavy train locomotive.
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"With the motor turning around 200 revolutions per minute, it will take well over two trillion years before the final gear makes but one turn. Given the truth of this situation, it is possible to do anything at all with the final gear, even embed it in concrete."
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“With a big enough reduction gear, I could turn the world.” ~ Archimedes, probably
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“A patient person could use it to move a heavy train locomotive with a dental drill.”
Finally I can use that ole’ dental drill.
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Oskar is an amazing puzzle designer… just search Shapeways for 'Oskar"…
Not too bad for a Telecommunications Engineer!!!
Disclaimer: I’ve known Oskar for more than a decade…_
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Came to this thread planning to link to the artwork you linked.
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I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that piece- it’s at the MIT Museum, right?
It’s profoundly weird to see something like that.
Is it safe?
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No, I do not think physics works that way.
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Oh, I think it would work… Until the drill melted from turning a few million times faster than it was designed to.
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You really can’t drive a worm gear backward.
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I didn’t know it used a worm gear.
Consider myself corrected.
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the most obvious use would be to alter the rotation of the earth from a backpack at the N pole
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A patient person could use it to move a heavy train locomotive with a dental drill.
Only on a frictionless surface. In the real world, his contraption would (slowly, slowly) break, while trying to overcome the static friction of the heavy train locomotive.
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Oh you bastard! SHUDDER
I once made the mistake of mentioning my horror at that scene to my dental hygienist.
When the dentist came over he had a shot in one hand, a pick in the other & a mask on his face then deadpanned “is it safe?”
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One word comes to mind after reading & viewing:
insufficient.
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Could I use it to move atoms?
only if you believe in “science”
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yeah, i was wondering this myself.
the gears generate significant torque, but it’s not like that torque would be delivered solely to the end effector. the nails holding the assembly to the table, the plastic (plastic!) gears themselves, the whole system has to be able to handle the force.
it seems kind of like when superman (or girl) catches a careening airliner, but somehow the ground where our kryptonian is standing is fine, and so are all the people inside the plane.
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