This is a simple stirling engine. I came across this when researching drinking chickens. I think this opens a world of possibilities and ideas for me. One idea is to use it as input for a piece. I could have several of them and the different heat from individuals would make each one spin at a different speed. Also, I could use the rotating disk as a piece of information. When it spins, a light sensor could be reading off it and that in turn could create another link in the system. I don’t know yet… it was just something interesting.
Google “Conrad Shawcross”. I think you’ll like it.