Symmetrical Gear Spins One-Way, Harvesting Surrounding Chaos

Here’s a novel ratchet mechanism developed by researchers that demonstrates how a single object — in this case a gear shaped like a six-pointed star — can rectify the disordered e…

3D Print Your Own Seiko-Style “Magic Lever” Energy Harvester

Back in 1956, Seiko created their “magic lever” as an integral part of self-winding mechanical watches, which were essentially mechanical energy harvesters. The magic lever is a type of…

A 3D Printed Ratchet That Can Really Take The Torque

Printed tools aren’t exactly known for their durability, but [Gladius] shows us that with some thoughtful design, it’s possible to print a ratcheting wrench that can handle surprising a…

Printable One-Way Driver Skips Ratchet For A Clutch

Ratcheting screwdrivers can help you work faster, even if their bulk means they’re not the best option for working in tight spaces. [ukman] decided to build a similar device of his own, relyi…

The ratchet: even demonstrably ineffectual and unnecessary copyright laws are never repealed

<p>The European Union is working on a number of important new digital laws. These includes the Digital Services Act, the Digital Markets Act, and the Data Act. A new press release about the last of these contains the following section: the Data...