Editing South-pointing chariot (section)

===Non-mechanical possibilities===
Some south-pointing chariots may not have been purely mechanical devices. Someone riding inside the chariot may have used some non-mechanical method of determining the compass directions, and turned the doll on top of the chariot accordingly. There are several methods that could have been used, for example:

* By using a [[Compass#Magnetic compass|magnetic compass]]. The Chinese were using this for navigation by the 11th century, when south-pointing chariots were still being made and used.
* By using astronomical observations of the Sun or stars (e.g. the [[Pole Star]]). [[Chinese astronomy|Chinese astronomical knowledge]] was extensive.
* By using local knowledge. The person in the chariot may have known the area or had a map or description of it.
* By observing the polarization of light from the sky.
* By observing light that had been refracted by the Earth's atmosphere. This is one of the techniques that were used by Polynesian navigators to steer ships among Pacific islands. When the surface of the Earth, ocean or ground, is colder than the air above it, a dense layer of air is formed near the surface, which refracts light downward. The result is that light can go around the curvature of the Earth, allowing things to be seen at much greater distances than simple geometry would predict. The images are very distorted, but they can be recognized by skilled navigators. Certain other Polynesian techniques can also be used on land and may have been employed by the Chinese.

Unlike mechanisms that rely on the rotation of road wheels, most of these methods can be used at sea. This may account for the mention (see "Earliest sources" above) that a marine version of the south-pointing chariot existed.

These methods can work accurately over long distances, unlike the mechanical designs for the chariot.

[[File:South-pointing chariot, China Court, Ibn Battuta Mall, Dubai.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A wooden two-wheeled cart supporting a series of wooden peg gears and a metal statue pointing with one outstretched hand.|South-pointing chariot replica at the [[Ibn Battuta Mall]], Dubai]]