About

About Mechanism Lab

Mechanism Lab is a small, independent educational site with one goal: to explain how mechanical mechanisms actually work, with animated diagrams that show the motion instead of describing it in words alone.

Most mechanical explanations on the web rely on static photos or borrowed illustrations. We believe motion is the missing piece. That is why every article on this site is illustrated with an original animated SVG diagram, built from scratch for that article. Nothing is copied, scraped, or re-hosted from other sources.

What we cover

• Gears — spur, planetary, worm, rack-and-pinion, and harmonic drives
• Linkages — four-bar linkages, crank-and-slider, straight-line mechanisms
• Locking & indexing — ratchets, one-way clutches, Geneva drives
• Escapements & timing — anchor escapements,flywheels, governors
• Power transmission — belts, chains, CVTs, differentials, torque converters

Editorial standards

Articles are researched from engineering references and written in plain language for curious non-engineers. Technical claims are checked against standard mechanical engineering practice, and articles are updated when we find a clearer or more accurate way to explain something.

Get in touch

Found an error? Want a mechanism explained? We read every message — reach us through the contact page.