Wow, impressive, but wouldn't all of those gears be robbing the engine of power (I'm not an engineer)?
Yes it would to some degree, but that would be off set somewhat by the valve timing being more accurate and delivering more power.
I see that one uses the offset straightcut gears like those on my 1969 Honda CL175. According to the manual, that made them quieter and stronger than a single straightcut gear but with less friction than a helical gear. The ABT system on the Wilderness Railway in Tasmania uses the same idea. In that case, I believe it was the strength that was important.