Published in Nature Communications earlier this month, the study by researchers at St. Olaf College and Syracuse University shows how the system stores and processes information by snapping between stable positions, similar to a switch turning on or off.

"We typically think of memory as something in a computer hard drive, or within our brains," Joey Paulsen, associate professor of physics at St. Olaf College, said, as quoted by Interesting Engineering.

"However, many everyday materials retain some kind of memory of their past—for example, rubber can ‘remember’ how far it has been squeezed or stretched in the past. The research team wanted to understand if we could use everyday materials to not only remember movement but also process information—or compute," Paulsen added.

Research team members at the St. Olaf College in the U.S. with their spring-powered computer. Photo courtesy of St. Olaf College

Building on this concept, the team engineered three mechanical systems made from steel bars and springs. When force is applied, a bar pivots and a spring stretches, shifting the structure into a new position where it remains until moved again.

One system acts as a counter that records physical pulls, another functions as a logic gate that distinguishes between odd and even inputs, and a third stores information about the strength of an applied force. Together, these components show that computation can be achieved through structural motion alone, without the need for electrical signals.

"We now have a rational way of building these machines that can perform simple computations without a computer chip or a power source," Paulsen said.

At its current stage, the machine can perform simple tasks such as counting, distinguishing between odd and even inputs, and retaining information about whether a medium or large force was applied, according to The Brighter Side of News.

The study does not position the device as a replacement for modern computers. Instead, it outlines a proof of concept, with future work expected to examine scalability and performance limits. "Our results are one step toward designing materials that can sense their environment, make a decision, and then respond," Paulsen said.

The researchers suggest potential applications in extreme conditions, including high temperatures or corrosive environments, where only basic processing is required.

They also propose integrating such systems directly into materials, rather than as standalone devices, which could support the development of responsive structures such as artificial limbs or tactile environments.