The completed model naturally needs testing, and although it's just a model, under Perfikot's masterful skills, it still possesses the functionalities that a real shield machine should have.
Simply put, this model can, like a real shield machine, dig a hole in the ground once the steam engine on it is activated.
However, this thing is just a model; even if it can dig, it can only create a very small hole, akin to a toy.
Perfikot, before actually using it to dig, even had to pre-program it with a reversible mechanism to prevent it from getting stuck underground, forcing them to dig it out.
For a purely mechanical entity like this, programming doesn't mean installing a difference engine and writing numerical code; rather, it's about designing an operation mechanism through intricate clockwork and gears, so that it automatically reverses its direction after reaching a certain depth, retracting the entire shield machine model from the ground.