OK, conventional record players use gravity to ensure the needle is properly situated in the groove.
How does this do it accurately and without using too much force and damaging the record.
Also the mechanism is protected from dust, what about the record sitting on it?
I have a couple of top quality TT's that utilize a spring to create the tracking force; granted they are old tech TT's. But they still sound great after nearing 60 years of use. There is nothing wrong with a spring mechanism to adjust tracking force. In fact, they could even be used in a zero gravity environment due to the spring, or upside down, vertical, etc.
This new TT utilizes a spring for that adjustment.
Your last
question point is age old.... how to keep a record clean. The best way is to maintain a clean enviroment to play them in, and, to clean them. There are lots of commerically available record cleaning machines (RCM's), in many different styles. There are just as many or more DIY RCM designs as well; mine utilizes two platters, one for wet cleaning (manual hand rotation), and one for vacuuming the solution from the record (motorized).