Basically the title.
In: Engineering
Mechanical batteries are, strictly, any mechanical thing that stores potential energy. Springs, flywheels, etc. they are useful for lots of stuff. Mousetraps are an example of a mechanical battery (a spring in this case) storing the energy needed to swing that trap arm.
Flywheels, in particular, are useful as an energy storage system because you can spin them up and use them to power electrical generation. It’s a weighted and carefully balanced wheel that can be spun up to the required high speeds and, if efficient, can even run vehicles. Look up the Swedish “gyrobus” system some time! Electric vehicles, using the flywheels to power generators, and the flywheels can be spun up to speed by machines at the stops or stations, and power the buses from stop to stop.
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