A mechanical true random number generator

Random number generation has become an indispensable part of information processing: it is essential for many numerical algorithms, security applications, and in securing fairness in everyday life. Random number generators (RNGs) find application in many devices, ranging from dice and roulette wheels, via computer algorithms, lasers to quantum systems, which inevitably capitalize on their physical dynamics at respective spatio-temporal scales. Herein, to the best of our knowledge, we propose the first mathematically proven true RNG (TRNG) based on a mechanical system, particularly the triple linkage of Thurston and Weeks. By using certain parameters, its free motion has been proven to be an Anosov flow, from which we can show that it has an exponential mixing property and structural stability. We contend that this mechanical Anosov flow can be used as a TRNG, which requires that the random number should be unpredictable, irreproducible, robust against the inevitable noise seen in physical implementations, and the resulting distribution's controllability (an important consideration in practice). We investigate the proposed system's properties both theoretically and numerically based on the above four perspectives. Further, we confirm that the random bits numerically generated pass the standard statistical tests for random bits.