Top 7 inventions of Leonardo da Vinci, without which the world would seem impossible

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

An artist, sculptor, architect, scientist, writer, anatomist … It's easier to say who the legendary Leonardo da Vinci was not. Despite the fact that most of the inventions of the Italian remained only blueprints, he can undoubtedly be called the greatest representative of the Renaissance. We propose to look at the seven ingenious inventions of Leonardo da Vinci through the eyes of a 21st century layman.

1. Parachute

At one time, da Vinci, fascinated by the idea of a flying man, created a sketch of a device that allowed him to slowly drift in the air. In his work "On the flying and movement of bodies in the air" in 1485, Leonardo sketched a pyramidal structure covered with cotton fabric. The inventor wrote that holding a fabric tent 12 cubits wide and 12 cubits high, a person can jump from any height without fear of damaging anything. Surprisingly, the parachute, recreated in the 2000s according to da Vinci's drawings, worked exactly as the great Italian described it.

2. "Propeller"

The Propeller is perhaps one of the most interesting sketches found in Leonardo da Vinci's manuscripts. In them, the engineer talked about an unusual flying machine that could rise into the sky due to the movement of the blades. Giant propellers, made of thin flax, created aerodynamic force, which, according to the author's idea, was to lift the “propeller” into the sky. Isn't it a prototype of a modern helicopter?

3. Cities of the future

At the time when Leonardo lived in Milan, a severe plague epidemic was raging in Europe. The scientist noticed that large cities were more vulnerable to the virus than the countryside. This is how da Vinci came up with the idea of creating an "Ideal City" with minimal unsanitary conditions. The city's design included many modern technologies such as a system of diversion canals, multi-level streets and much more.

4. Robot Knight

Leonardo da Vinci is also known as the creator of one of the first humanoid robots. Only, it seems that, unlike many other inventions, the robot in the form of a knight was nevertheless built by an Italian. Due to the complex gear system, the knight could sit down, raise his arms and even move his jaw. According to Novate.ru, Leonardo spent a lot of time studying human anatomy. These data subsequently formed the principle of the robot's operation.

5. Self-propelled cart

If the robot knight can be called the first humanoid machine, then the self-propelled trolley is a prime example of the first self-driving transport. Da Vinci's drawings do not fully reveal how the trolley works, but it is obvious that it was moved by a spring mechanism, like the one used in modern watches. The springs could be wound manually, and while they were unwound, the cart moved forward. The steering was programmed using a series of blocks in the transmission chain.

6. Armored tank

Working for Duke Lodovico Sforza, Leonardo drew what became the crown jewel of his creation in the field of military vehicles - an armored tank. In such a "turtle" could be at once eight people, and the diameter of the tank was located 36 guns. However, a promising combat vehicle was never implemented due to the limited technology of that time.

7. Diving suit

While living in Venice at the end of the 15th century, Leonardo da Vinci came up with the innovative idea of destroying the enemy fleet. All that had to be done was to send a group of soldiers to the bottom of the harbor in special waterproof suits, where they would imperceptibly damage the bottoms of wooden ships. This idea may not look so impressive now, but in the days of da Vinci it was not heard. In such suits, divers could breathe with the help of a special bag of air, and through glass masks they could see under water.

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