The Harmonium: Amazing Analog Computer

This thing is so gorgeous it makes me want to cry. The Harmonium is a mechanical computer designed to perform sine wave synthesis and Fourier Analysis (in other words, it draws and analyzes sine curves). This complex gadget is the brainchild of 64-year-old Dutch inventor Tatjana van Vark, who has a long history of building complex gadgetry (there are several shots of an oscilloscope on her site built when she was 14).

From what I can decypher, this magnificent beast has two capabilities. The first is relatively straightforward: it incorporates a mechanical sine generator that can draw a sine wave onto a paper drum. All you have to do is feed in the amplitude and phase angle and it will happily scrawl away.

The Harmonium's second ability is a tad more complex - it includes a mechanical integrator which you can use to trace the sine curve and perform a fourier analysis to extract the phase and amplitude of the curve, which is displayed on two dials. Too technical for you? Let's just say that this entire machine elegantly replaces a single function of a $100 graphing calculator with a few thousand dollar-euros of precision engineered metal. Visit van Vark's site for dozens more jaw-dropping photos.

The Harmonium: Mechanical Fourier Analysis and Synthesis [via Matrixsynth]

Follow the jump for more gratuitous gear porn...

A shot from above showing the machine's three main components. The sine wave generator is on the top right, the mechanical integrator is on the top left and the paper drum on the bottom is the machine's "display":

The sine wave generator:

The mechanical integrator:

Comments

[Wujek]

Just one thing: Tatjana van Vark is not "he", but "she". Mrs van Vark is definitely a woman, and Tatjana is female name (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatiana_%28given_name%29).

[Jim T.]

Are you sure Tatjana is a he? Tatjana is a girl's name in Holland.

Also note this at the bottom of Van Vark's home page:

"Do mind : The webmasters are not the makers of these beautiful contraptions (which is Mrs. Tatjana van Vark).
They just realize the HTML-design, make (most of the) pictures, optimize the material, and handle contact with Tatjana."

[james]

That's what I get for assuming that only boys can machine metal (I know several female mech engineers who will never let me live this one down, too...).
The text in the feed version of this post is (and unfortunately will remain) pitifully incorrect.

[Nash Rambler]

It's an incredible marriage of design and function; I wish I had a need to plot sine waves just to fill that need with this machine. Alas, math is not Nash's strong suit.