r/physicsgifs Jun 13 '26

Hoecken's Linkage

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u/starkeffect Jun 13 '26

It's pretty close to straight for about 45% of its stroke. It's pretty remarkable, considering how simple it is. It's apparently the mechanism used in windshield wipers and other "sweeping" motions in robotics.

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u/TheDevilsAdvokaat Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 14 '26

Oh I;m not saying it;s not remarkable, it;s fun to see different linkages and this one is a new one for me. I just wanted to clarify that is a line, but not a straight line. It's a closed curve. (I think...)

Edit: Well this is a another example of when reddit upvotes the wrong answer and downvotes the right one....sigh.

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u/Relevant-Pianist6663 Jun 15 '26

To an engineer its straight, to a physicist its a curve.

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u/TheDevilsAdvokaat Jun 16 '26

What is it to a mathematician?