Water Integrator — a computer that ran on water
Vladimir Sergeevich Lukyanov built the world’s first computer in 1936 that solved differential equations in partial derivatives. The amazing fact is that the machine was driven by water.
The construction company that Lukyanov worked with was unable to find a solution for the cracks that used to happen in concretes during winter’s sub-zero temperature. To understand the thermal process better, Lukyanov researched the temperature conditions in concrete masonry. Finally, he built the water integrator machine that could plot graphs and help visualize the thermal process.
Manufacturing plants, research organizations, and educational institutes used the water computers well into the 1970s. The use of these hydraulic integrators diminished once the digital computers became more powerful and convenient to use.
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