“Calculating clock” by Schickard

Wilhelm Schickard wanted to “mechanise” the laborious and error-prone task of calculating astronomical tables. In 1623 he had two calculating machines built to his specifications in a mechanic’s workshop in Tübingen – one for himself, the other for Johannes Kepler.
The practical benefits of his “calculating clock” appeared somewhat dubious at the time, as the system based on logarithmic tables was superior. Regrettably, both machines were destroyed in a fire at the workshop and the invention was forgotten.
This reconstruction of the machine by Baron von Freytag-Löringhoff was completed in 1957. Photo: Jan Braun, HNF