5 Timeless Designs by Leonardo da Vinci

People often associate Leonardo da Vinci with famous paintings like the “Mona Lisa,” but the Renaissance genius was also a creative inventor.

Plane

Leonardo da Vinci drew a sketch of a flying machine based on the anatomy of birds and bats. The most prominent feature of the design was the giant wings connected to a wooden frame. The pilot inside could lie face down and move the wings up and down by turning a crank, creating the movement of a series of rods and pulleys. However, Da Vinci did not actually build his design. 400 years later, Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first successful flight in an airplane in 1903. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Armored vehicle

The armored car was designed to stop the enemy in battle. The vehicle he invented was powered by human power and protected by a sturdy metal shell. Weapons were placed in the cracks of the shell, allowing soldiers to fight without being hit by enemy fire. Like the airplane, Da Vinci did not build an actual armored car. It was not until World War I that armored tanks appeared on the battlefields of Europe. Photo: Stanford University

Diving suit

The diving suit was made primarily of leather, consisting of a suit and a mask with a pair of glass goggles. In his notes, air circulated in the inflated area of ​​the leather suit, allowing the wearer to breathe underwater. He also drew suits with urine containers and various other necessary equipment pockets. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Machine gun

Da Vinci designed 33 small guns mounted on a rotating frame. The gunner could fire the first round of the weapon, then turn the frame around to fire the next round almost immediately. It was not until 1862, during the American Civil War, that the Gatling Gun was put into use. Photo: leonardodavinci.net

Humanoid Robot

Under the patronage of Duke Sforza, da Vinci invented a “robotic knight” that could wave its arms, move its neck, and even open and close its mouth. The robot was controlled by wires that interacted with a crank and internal machinery. Some 450 years later, detailed sketches of his invention were discovered. In 2002, Mark Rosheim, a robotics expert who builds robotic systems for NASA and Lockheed Martin, used da Vinci’s notes to recreate a model of the robot knight.

According to vnexpress