Tag: Wind Up Robots

Wind up robots are toy robots powered by a spring. The wind up mechanism, also called a clockwork motor, uses a spiral torsion spring resembling a ribbon of metal coiled into a spiral. The spring is wound via a key and ratchet system to maintain tension between each turn of the key. When the spring is wound tightly and then released, it produces enough kinetic energy to power the gears and rods that make the robot move. The energy then slowly dissipates as the spring unwinds.

This mechanism is called clockwork as it’s literally the same principle used to power old clocks and watches.