5 timeless designs by Leonardo da Vinci
People often associate Leonardo da Vinci with famous paintings like "Mona Lisa," but this Renaissance genius was also a highly innovative inventor.
Plane
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Leonardo da Vinci sketched a flying machine based on his anatomical knowledge of birds and bats. The most striking feature of the design was the enormous 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 chain of rods and pulleys. However, Da Vinci did not actually build his design. 400 years later, Wilbur and Orville Wright successfully made the first flight in an airplane in 1903. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
Armored vehicle
The armored vehicle was designed to stop the enemy in battle. The vehicle he invented was powered by human strength and protected by a sturdy metal shell. Weapons in the shell's openings allowed soldiers to fight without being hit by enemy fire. Like the airplane, Da Vinci did not actually build an armored vehicle. Armored tanks only appeared on the battlefields of Europe when World War I broke out. (Image: Stanford University)
Diving suit
The diving suit was made primarily of leather, consisting of a suit and a mask with glass goggles. In his notes, air circulation in the inflated area of the leather suit allowed the wearer to breathe underwater. He also depicted suits with urine containers and various pouches for other necessary equipment. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
Machine gun
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Da Vinci designed 33 small guns mounted on a rotating frame. The shooter could fire the first round of the weapon, then rotate the frame to fire the next round almost instantly. It wasn't until 1862, during the American Civil War, that the automatic gun (Gatling gun) came into use. (Image: leonardodavinci.net)
Humanoid robot
Under the patronage of the Duke of 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 interacting with a crank and internal mechanical mechanisms. About 450 years later, detailed sketches of his invention were rediscovered. In 2002, Mark Rosheim, a robotics expert who built robotic systems for NASA and Lockheed Martin, used da Vinci's notes to recreate a model of the robotic knight.
According to vnexpress