Skip to content

TechRepublic

  • Top Products
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • Accounting
  • CRM
  • Academy
Resources
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Newsletters
  • Resource Library
  • Forums
  • Sponsored
Go Premium
Popular Topics
  • Top Products
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • Accounting
  • CRM
  • Academy
  • Project Management
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Big Data
  • Tech Jobs
View All Topics
Go Premium
Innovation

Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

By Brandon Vigliarolo September 1, 2016, 1:51 PM PDT Brandon Vigliarolo on Twitter bviglia

Image
1
of 15

abacus.jpg
abacus.jpg
Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

​The abacus

Image: iStock/Jasmin Awad

​The abacus

Long before electricity (or even running water) humans were seeking ways to make math easier. Whether you love mathematics or hate it you have to admit that your smartphone sure makes it easier to do even the simplest of calculations.

As soon as humans could move beyond counting knucklebones the abacus was invented. Archeologists have been able to trace a basic form of the abacus all the way back to 2700 BC in Mesopotamia.

Image: iStock/Jasmin Awad
antikythera.jpg
antikythera.jpg
Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

​The Antikythera mechanism

Image: The Athens Key

​The Antikythera mechanism

Recovered from a Greek shipwreck off the island of Antikythera, this small analog computer was designed to predict astronomical positions and eclipses, and it even tracked the cycle of the ancient Olympic Games.

The Antikythera mechanism is estimated to have been built around 205 BC, and its complexity went, as far as we know, unmatched until the invention of astronomical clocks in the 14th century.

Image: The Athens Key
napier.jpg
napier.jpg
Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

​Napier's Bones

Image: Harvey S. Taylor

​Napier's Bones

John Napier, a Scottish mathematician and physicist, invented this rod-based calculator in 1617. He based it on the lattice multiplication system that Ottoman mathematician Matraku00e7u0131 Nasuh popularized.

The bones are an amazing machine that can do addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and even extract square roots. Unfortunately for Napier he died the very year he published his system, so he wasn’t around to see it enjoyed for very long.

Image: Harvey S. Taylor
pascaline.jpg
pascaline.jpg
Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

​Pascaline

Image: GCTM-resources.org

​Pascaline

Blaise Pascal created his Pascaline calculator in 1642 when he was just 19 years old. He invented it for his father, who was a tax commissioner, because Pascal wished to reduce his workload. The Pascaline was the first in history to include a carrying mechanism, eliminating errors due to operators forgetting to carry the 1.

Pascal received royal privilege from the king of France for his design, making him the only one in the kingdom allowed to design and produce mechanical calculators. He tried commercializing the Pascaline but only sold about 20 of them in five years before getting bored with math and moving on to philosophy.

Image: GCTM-resources.org
sector.jpg
sector.jpg
Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

​Sector

Image: Smithsonian Magazine

​Sector

Also known as the military calculator, the sector is just two rulers attached by a hinge. They are able to swing open and closed and feature several scales designed to do a bunch of different mathematical operations that most military officers at the time were unable to do.

The sector was likely a simultaneous invention of several mathematicians, but Galileo generally gets credit. The sector found wide use during its heyday since it was easy to produce and use. It found a home in architecture, gunnery, determining perspectives, surveying, and even music.

Image: Smithsonian Magazine
analyticalengine.jpg
analyticalengine.jpg
Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

​Analytical engine

Image: Haverford College

​Analytical engine

The first–and only–theoretical machine on the list, Charles Babbage’s analytical engine was never quite finished. It should work in theory, and if it were to be successfully constructed it would be the first Turing-complete computer in the history of the world.

The analytical engine was designed to allow for conditional branching and loops, have onboard memory, and be equipped with an arithmetic logic unit. It would use punch cards to input programs and store data (up to approximately 16 kB). Alas, Babbage and his chief engineer couldn’t stop arguing, so the British government pulled their funding in the late 1830s.

Image: Haverford College
actinograph.jpg
actinograph.jpg
Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

​Actinograph

Image: Earlyphotogpraphy.co.uk

​Actinograph

Actinographs are the precursor to the modern light meter and were employed for the same purpose: to help photographers get better shots. Unlike their electronic counterparts, actinographs were more like a variation of the slide rule.

Slides were adjusted to account for plate speed, lense type, and other variables. The device was then placed against a card (or a roller) that tracked light through the course of the year so you could estimate just how long to expose film.

Image: Earlyphotogpraphy.co.uk
differential-analyzer.jpg
differential-analyzer.jpg
Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

​Differential analyser

Image: Computer History Museum

​Differential analyser

These machines were meant to solve–no surprise–differential equations. They did so by using integration calculated by a ball and disc system, which remained popular until it was replaced by electronic computers.

Differential analysers were first used to predict tides, and later for naval fire control systems. Machines not unlike the early 1872 model remained operational until the 1940s, when they were finally replaced with more practical–and powerful–computers.

Image: Computer History Museum
z1-computer.jpg
z1-computer.jpg
Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

​The Z1

Image: http://computersofourpast.weebly.com/

​The Z1

The Z1 was the first computer in the world to use boolean logic and floating point numbers as the basis of its programming. It was, unfortunately, destroyed during bombing of Berlin in World War II, and its construction plans were lost as well.

Programs were punched into 35mm film, and the whole machine was built by its designer, Konrad Zuse, using thin metal sheets and a jigsaw. Zuse reconstructed the Z1 in 1986, recutting the nearly 20,000 parts by hand again.

Image: http://computersofourpast.weebly.com/
lehmer-sieve.jpg
lehmer-sieve.jpg
Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

​Lehmer sieve

Image: Computer History Museum

​Lehmer sieve

In 1936, UC Berkeley professor Derrick Norman Lehmer enlisted his son to help him build a machine that could give them the remainders of two sets of numbers divided together. Called a sieve, their machine was initially constructed using bicycle chains.

The chains would spin, and as they did they would hit rods. Those rods in turn closed part of a circuit, and once the whole thing was closed the machine would have arrived at an answer. Not exactly practical, but neither is finding remainders from two massive number sets.

Image: Computer History Museum
aristo.jpg
aristo.jpg
Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

​Cryptography slide rule

Image: cryptomuseum.com

​Cryptography slide rule

The Aristo 90197 looks and operates just like a regular slide rule, but it doesn’t have anything written on it. That made it the perfect tool for cryptanalysts learning their trade: just write letters on it and slide it around to change the encryption.

The Aristo was commonly used to train cryptanalysts during World War II and the Cold War. Basic cryptographic functions like substitution and transposition were easy with the Aristo, making it an invaluable tool in protecting national secrets and sending coded messages.

Image: cryptomuseum.com
moniac.jpg
moniac.jpg
Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

​MONIAC

Image: Fulltable.org

​MONIAC

Fans of Terry Pratchett will likely recognize the MONIAC, but for those who haven’t read Making Money this one is straight out of the realm of fantasy. The MONIAC was designed in 1949 by an economist from New Zealand. It uses water that is pumped between chambers to simulate the economy of the United Kingdom.

Chambers had names like treasury, health, education, and most every other part of the economy. Water would be pumped from place to place, removed from the model to represent exports, added for imports, and moved around to simulate investment.

Pratchett’s fantasy version actually ends up spontaneously generating gold in the city treasury of Ankh Morpork, which as of this writing has yet to happen in any major financial center of our world.

Image: Fulltable.org
magic-brain.jpg
magic-brain.jpg
Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

​Chadwick Magic Brain

Image: International Slide Rule Museum

​Chadwick Magic Brain

The Chadwick Magic Brain is a great example of a consumer calculating device from the era before electronics. It’s a purely mechanical device that uses a stylus to add, subtract, multiply, and divide.

The stylus would be placed in a slot next to the number the operator was working with, then slid up or down to add the number to the machine. It’s surprisingly simple to operate, and it was surprisingly cheap too: it cost $0.98 in 1962, which would make it a little less than $8.00 in 2016.

Image: International Slide Rule Museum
curta.jpg
curta.jpg
Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

Curta

Image: Computer History Museum

Curta

The Curta looks like one of two things: either a pepper mill or a piece of camera equipment. It doesn’t scream “calculator,” yet that’s exactly what it is. Numbers are input using slides on the side of the device, and a lever on the top is spun to add, subtract, multiply, and divide.

The designer, Curt Herzstark, actually finalized the design while being held in Buchenwald concentration camp during WWII. After the camp was liberated he found a factory to manufacture it, and the Curta later became one of the most popular mechanical calculators until the invention of electronic ones in the 1970s.

Image: Computer History Museum
kl-1.jpg
kl-1.jpg
Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

​KL-1

Image: International Slide Rule Museum

​KL-1

The KL-1 was a soviet design, and also the impetus for this gallery. It’s actually just a slide rule, but in a round form that is about the size of a pocketwatch. By sliding the face and a needle a user can multiply, divide, and perform a number of trigonometric functions.

I purchased one online, and it’s a really cool device. It’s tricky to use, but when I get a calculation correct it’s exciting. It also reminds of the alethiometer from The Golden Compass, which definitely isn’t the reason I bought it.

Image: International Slide Rule Museum
  • Innovation
  • Account Information

    Share with Your Friends

    Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history

    Your email has been sent

Share: Gallery: 15 unique analog and mechanical computers from throughout history
Image of Brandon Vigliarolo
By Brandon Vigliarolo
Brandon is a Staff Writer for TechRepublic. He's an award-winning feature and how-to writer who previously worked as an IT professional and served as an MP in the US Army.
  • Account Information

    Contact Brandon Vigliarolo

    Your message has been sent

  • |
  • See all of Brandon's content

Daily Tech Insider

If you can only read one tech story a day, this is it.

TechRepublic TechRepublic
  • TechRepublic on Facebook
  • TechRepublic on X
  • TechRepublic on LinkedIn
  • TechRepublic on YouTube
  • TechRepublic on Pinterest
  • TechRepublic RSS
Services
  • About Us
  • Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
  • Site Map
  • Site Help & Feedback
  • FAQ
  • Advertise
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • Careers
Explore
  • Downloads
  • TechRepublic Forums
  • Meet the Team
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Resource Library
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Editorial Policy
  • Legal Terms
  • Privacy Policy
© 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All rights reserved.
CLOSE

Create a TechRepublic Account

Get the web's best business technology news, tutorials, reviews, trends, and analysis—in your inbox. Let's start with the basics.

Already registered? Sign In
Use Facebook
Use Linkedin

* - indicates required fields

CLOSE

Sign in to TechRepublic

Not a member? Create an account
Use Facebook
Use Linkedin

Lost your password? Request a new password

CLOSE

Reset Password

Please enter your email adress. You will receive an email message with instructions on how to reset your password.

Check your email for a password reset link. If you didn't receive an email don't forgot to check your spam folder, otherwise contact support.

Back to login
1 Finish Profile
2 Newsletter Preferences
CLOSE

Welcome. Tell us a little bit about you.

This will help us provide you with customized content.

No thanks, continue without
1 Finish Profile
2 Newsletter Preferences
CLOSE

Want to receive more TechRepublic news?

Newsletter Name
Subscribe
Daily Tech Insider
Daily Tech Insider AU
TechRepublic UK
TechRepublic News and Special Offers
TechRepublic News and Special Offers International
Executive Briefing
Innovation Insider
Project Management Insider
Microsoft Weekly
Cloud Insider
Data Insider
Developer Insider
TechRepublic Premium
Apple Weekly
Cybersecurity Insider
Google Weekly
Toggle All
No thanks, continue without

You're All Set

Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye out for a confirmation email from our team. To ensure any newsletters you subscribed to hit your inbox, make sure to add [email protected] to your contacts list.

Back to Home Page
×