Roons – Mechanical Computer Kit
I built a mechanical computer kit: https://whomtech.com/show-hn tl;dr: it's a cellular automaton on a "loom" of alternating bars, using contoured tiles to guide marbles through logic gates. It's not just "Turing complete, job done"; I've tried to make it actually practical. Devices are compact, e.g. you can fit a binary adder into a 3cm square. It took me nearly two years and dozens of different approaches. There's a sequence of interactive tutorials to try out, demo videos, and a janky simulator. I've also sent out a few prototype kits and have some more ready to go. Please…
Roons – Mechanical Computer Kit launched on May 1, 2025 with 203 votes, #163 of 7,905 launches that month and more than 95% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 1 year on.
In plain words
Roons is a mechanical computer kit built around a cellular automaton system where marbles flow through contoured tiles to perform logic operations on a loom of alternating bars. Users can construct compact computing devices, fitting components like binary adders into three-centimeter squares. The kit includes interactive tutorials, demonstrations, and a simulator for learning how the system works. It is designed for hobbyists and learners interested in hands-on mechanical computing.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
Welcome, weary traveller! Let me tell you the tale of roons — a kit for building mechanical computers. I got inspired a couple of years ago when I binged a bunch of mechanical logic gate YouTube videos. There are some unbelievably clever implementations — Steve Mould’s water computer was a particular inspiration. Still, these mechanical logic gates usually end up too big to make any practical devices. I figured, how hard can it be to miniaturise them into a usable kit? The Analytical Engine weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and leaves. After noodling around with far too many prototypes, I settled on what I call a loom automaton . We place…from whomtech.com
In the maker’s words, at launch
I built a mechanical computer kit: https://whomtech.com/show-hn tl;dr: it's a cellular automaton on a "loom" of alternating bars, using contoured tiles to guide marbles through logic gates. It's not just "Turing complete, job done"; I've tried to make it actually practical. Devices are compact, e.g.…
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