[Manglano]

There's some work being done in superfluid discovery which would create the sort of conditions you're looking for but physics discoveries move incredibly slowly and some of the materials are rare or difficult to create. However, that sort of "lubricate, seal, and forget" kinetic system is essential for a lot of surface work in space. Increasingly important on Earth as well.

As a heuristic, the less mechanical parts in any system, the more efficient it is over time.

Ideally, everything that's built is engineered like a spacecraft, because to some extent it is, and is onboard one.