The Cranky Old Antikythera Mechanism

A new study of the Antikythera Mechanism suggests that the machine did not work all that well, and that may be the reason why more weren't made. Paul Sutter, 'Mysterious Antikythera Mechanism may have jammed constantly, like a modern printer. Was it just a janky toy?' Live Science April 10, 2025

Argentinian scientists created a computer simulation that replicated the Antikythera Mechanism's movements. This simulation incorporated errors from the imprecise nature of its manufacture, where the gears didn't have exact spacing between them. Crucially, unlike previous efforts to recreate the Mechanism, the researchers also included an accurate model of the Mechanism's triangle-shaped gear teeth, which affect how well gears interlock with one another, and how well the indicators point to the intended astronomical target. From this model, the researchers found that the Mechanism wasn't very useful at all. It could only be cranked to about four months into the future before it inevitably jammed, or its gears simply disengaged. The user would then have had to reset everything to get it going again — similar to trying to fix a modern printer.