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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Energetically efficient, mediated mechanical system for precise control of hoisting operations

Mikel Palmero1,2,*, Juan Gonzalo Muga3,2, and Ander Tobalina4,2

  • *Contact author: mikel.palmero@ehu.eus
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Phys. Rev. Research 8, L012040 – Published 20 February, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/7s9h-p8v1

Abstract

We introduce a mechanical control system for energy efficient and robust hoisting crane operations. The control system efficiently translates the harmonic motion of a spring-loaded mediating system into the desired driving of the load, recycling most of the employed energy for subsequent operations. The control output is a shortcut-to-adiabaticity protocol borrowed from quantum mechanics. The control system reduces the single operation consumption in realistic working regimes, but it is in cyclical processes where the energetic advantage becomes substantial. The design of the control system and the control output is flexible enough to allow additional optimization of the robustness against perturbations.

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Phys. Rev. Research 8, L012040– Published 20 February, 2026
  • Received 2 July 2025
  • Accepted 21 January 2026
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