Museum shows off Da Vinci 'car'

I'm not sure this goes hee, so mods feel free to exercise you mod-ness. This is not my usual type of post.
Leonardo Da Vinci, Reanaisaance man, had many futuristic ideas and drawings. Among them was a "car". A scholar and a robotics expert teamed up to make a model of what could a self -propelled.
I have always wondered what made Leonardo's brain tick, if he had access to extra knowledge. Anyhow, here's the article:



"The Renaissance giant, whose imagination and sketches also envisioned helicopters, submarines, airplanes and armored tanks, drew a design for a primitive kind of car on sheet number 812r of his Codex Altanticus.

For centuries, scholars and scientists puzzled over just what da Vinci had in mind with his sketch of a kind a self-propelled wagon. An Italian scholar, Carlo Pedretti, and a U.S. robotics expert, Mark Rosheim, translated that sketch into working models, on display at the Institute and Museum of the History of Science from Saturday until June 5.

"The piece of paper where he sketched these drawings do not have even one single word," museum director Paolo Galluzzi said at a press preview of the exhibit Friday. "This is typical of Leonardo."

The wooden models spring forward several meters (yards) after a pair of back wheels are wound up, much like a kid's car zooms forward after the wheels are revved up against a surface.

Da Vinci apparently dreamed up the vehicle to impress people at Renaissance festivals, not to drive them around. There is no driver's seat in the model, although the car has a rudimentary steering system consisting of wooden blocks arranged between gears."

www.cnn.com...

EDIT: Just fixed the image link.

[Edited on 23-4-2004 by ZeddicusZulZorander]

Thank You!!!!!!!!!!

[Edited on 23-4-2004 by DontTreadOnMe]

an amazing piece of work for something that was designed 500 or so years ago.

i'd love to see a full size version. or at least the plans for it, so i could build it.

Da Vinci was truly a genius.

Talk about centuries ahead of your time.

IT's amazing but even dead Leonardo Da Vinci is more interesting than I am.

Bummer.

Spiderj

I just saw an IMAX movie that relates to this a little bit. DaVinci also designed a parachute that was never built or tested. In the movie a professional skydiver resurrects this 500 year old design and tests it! Its huge 7x7 x 7 feel tall. It used 4 pieces of wood in a square with canvas chute. He took it up 10000 feet in a hot air ballon and let er rip. It sailed beautifuly and work perfect. If only someone would have tried this 500 years ago! Pretty amazing!

Do any of you wonder how DaVinci came about his genius?? Divine inspiration? Hidden, esoteric knowledge?? Good guesses??

Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe
I have always wondered what mad Leonardo's brain tick, if he had access to extra knowledge.

Your typo slip is probubly correct.

Most genius's appear this way to the common public, and much later their mind is appreciated.

Originally posted by smirkley

Originally posted by DontTreadOnMe
I have always wondered what mad Leonardo's brain tick, if he had access to extra knowledge.

Your typo slip is probubly correct.

Most genius's appear this way to the common public, and much later their mind is appreciated.

Thanks, smirkley, I missed the typo.
What you say is true. It seems that we are aware of more of DaVinci's genius than others of his caliber from the past....

There's always the chance that he had about 8000 complete failures that we've never heard of..

I just saw this on the main page:

Weaponry: USA vs. the World - Views: 666 - Replies: 51

hehehehehe