DIY inventions of Leonardo da Vinci. Inventions of Leonardo da Vinci. Life of Leonardo da Vinci. Military-technical ideas and inventions of da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci is a symbol of the Renaissance. He left a rich collection of drawings, technical inventions, and research. The drawings of Leonardo da Vinci are of particular scientific and historical value. One of them - “The Vitruvian Man” - still evokes mystical awe. Let's figure out what message of the great artist is encoded in it.

“Vitruvian Man” by Leonardo da Vinci: description

Leonardo da Vinci, whose works embodied the worldview of the Renaissance, was not only a great artist and architect, but also an engineer and designer. His research was several centuries ahead of the development of science and technology.

Sometimes it seems that many of Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings and drawings were a mystical insight or a manifestation of the influence of higher powers. How could a 15th century man design an aircraft or a parachute, scuba gear, or a car? Namely, these drawings were discovered in the diaries of Leonardo da Vinci.

His paintings are no less mysterious. For more than five hundred years, art historians have been struggling with the mystery of Gioconda’s smile, unraveling the message captured in the painting “The Last Supper.” Many are convinced that all of Leonardo's creations contain cryptograms.

Da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" is one such drawing. Conspiracy theorists believe that it contains a secret message about some esoteric knowledge. It was this conjecture that was used by the American writer Dan Brown in the bestseller The Da Vinci Code.

According to the plot of the book, Professor Langdon discovered the body of the curator Jacques Saunière in the Louvre Museum, who, in the last minutes of his life, drew a circle around himself with a marker: “The clarity of Saunière’s intentions cannot be denied. In the last minutes of his life, the curator tore off his clothes and positioned himself in a circle, deliberately copying Leonardo da Vinci’s famous drawing ‘The Vitruvian Man’.”

This painting by the great artist, according to Dan Brown, is a message that communicates the unity of the masculine and feminine principles.

What does the little man, whose drawing has been surprising the world for several centuries, actually look like, and what does it mean?

The mysterious sketch is an illustration to the works of the Roman city planner and engineer Vitruvius, whose notes the Italian painter and scientist used in practical work.

The drawing consists of two images that are superimposed on one another: a square and a circle, in the centers of which are inscribed the silhouettes of a man with outstretched arms and legs. In one position, his arms form 90 degrees and his legs stand straight, and in the second, his arms and legs form 45 degrees.

The drawing was not originally intended for public viewing. This was a working sketch from which Leonardo da Vinci calculated the proportions of the human body in order to correctly depict people in his canvases. Therefore, the entire sketch is lined with barely noticeable straight lines.

It is very skillfully done in ink. All proportions maintained by the Renaissance painter correspond to the calculations of Vitruvius.

Leonardo da Vinci believed that there was an ideal number "phi" - the number of God. It is this that ensures harmony and clear proportions of everything created by nature. This number also became significant for da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man”. In fact, this sketch represents an ideal creature, since the ratio of the parts of its body determines the number “phi”.

Thus, there is no particular mystery in Leonardo da Vinci’s drawing. This is a talented sketch by an artist who sought to find harmony in nature and man, wanted to understand its laws and principles.

Leonardo da Vinci's Man: Little-Known Facts

What is mysterious about da Vinci's Vitruvian Man? Here are some interesting facts related to this sketch:

• Leonardo was not the first to depict a person according to the proportions calculated by Vitruvius. Before him, this was also done by the talented, but less famous architect Giacomo Andrea de Ferrara;

• the drawing, as conceived by Leonardo da Vinci, was a symbol of the unity of two principles - material (square) and spiritual (circle). At the center of the universe is man. It consists of water, fire, earth and air, therefore it embodies the harmony of the world order;
• it is not known who the sitter was for this sketch. It is believed that it was either the author himself, or a simulated ideal man, created according to the mathematical proportions calculated by Leonardo da Vinci;

• a double image of a man in a drawing by an Italian scientist and painter simultaneously demonstrates 16 poses;
• The Vitruvian Man is a cultural symbol of the era of modernism and postmodernity. Based on the model created by Leonardo, the French architect Le Corbusier created his scale of proportions, which became the standard in the art of the 20th century;
• Da Vinci's sketch was recreated by the Irish artist on the ice of the Arctic Ocean. It was a shout-reminder to humanity that it is responsible for the state of the planet.

This famous drawing by the famous painter and inventor is in the treasuries of the Venice Museum. It is practically never shown to the public. And the author himself did not count on such a stir around his creation.

Despite the subtext in this sketch, da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man” is the embodiment of the worldview of the Renaissance, the reverence of Renaissance culture for antiquity, the desire to know nature, its harmony, laws, to know the person who embodied the essence of the world order.

Painter, sculptor, architect, anatomist, natural scientist, inventor, engineer, writer, thinker, musician, poet. If you list only these areas of application of talent, without naming the name of the person to whom they relate, anyone will say: Leonardo da Vinci. We will consider only one of the facets of the personality of the “great Leonardo” and talk about his technical inventions.

Da Vinci was a famous figure of his time, but real fame came many centuries after his death. Only at the end of the 19th century were the scientist’s theoretical notes published for the first time. They contained descriptions of strange and mysterious devices for their time.

During the Renaissance, da Vinci could hardly count on the quick implementation of all his inventions. The main obstacle to their implementation was the insufficient technical level. But in the 20th century, almost all the devices described in his works became a reality. This suggests that the “Italian Faust” was not only a talented inventor, but also a person who was able to anticipate technological progress. Of course, this was facilitated by Leonardo's deep knowledge.

The scientist systematized his developments, creating so-called “codes” - books containing records about certain aspects of science and technology. There is, for example, "Leicester Code", in which you can find descriptions of various natural phenomena, as well as mathematical calculations.

It is noteworthy that da Vinci's notes are made in the so-called “mirror” font. All letters are written from right to left and rotated vertically. They can only be read using a mirror. There are still ongoing debates about why the scientist needed to keep records in this way. Rumor has it that this is how he intended to keep his works secret.

Helicopter and hang glider

No technical invention evokes such awe and admiration as a flying car. That is why special attention has always been focused on da Vinci’s flying machines. The inventor always dreamed of the idea of ​​aeronautics. Birds became the source of inspiration for the scientist. Leonardo tried to create a wing for an aircraft in the image and likeness of bird wings. One of the devices he developed was driven by movable wings, which were raised and lowered by the pilot's rotation of the pedals. The pilot himself was positioned horizontally (lying down).

Another version of the flying machine involved using not only the legs, but also the arms of the aeronaut for movement. Experiments with the “bird” wing did not have practical success, and soon the inventor moved on to the idea of ​​gliding flight. This is how the hang glider prototype appeared.

By the way, in 2002, British testers proved the correctness of the da Vinci hang glider concept. Using a device built according to the master’s drawings, world hang gliding champion Judy Liden was able to rise to a height of ten meters and stay in the air for seventeen seconds.

Of no less interest is the aircraft developed by da Vinci with a main rotor. Nowadays, many consider this machine to be the prototype of a modern helicopter. Although the device looks more like a gyroplane rather than a helicopter. The screw, made of fine flax, had to be driven by four people. The helicopter was one of the first flying machines proposed by da Vinci. Perhaps that is why he had a number of serious shortcomings that would never have allowed him to take off. For example, the strength of four people was clearly not enough to create the thrust necessary for takeoff.

But the parachute was one of the simplest developments of the genius. But this does not at all detract from the significance of the invention. According to Leonardo's idea, the parachute was supposed to have a pyramidal shape, and its structure was supposed to be covered with fabric. In our time, testers have proven that da Vinci's parachute concept can be considered correct. In 2008, Swiss Olivier Tepp successfully landed using a pyramid-shaped tent. True, for this the parachute had to be made from modern materials.

Leonardo da Vinci was the illegitimate (illegitimate) son of the Tuscan notary Piero da Vinci. His mother was a simple peasant woman. Subsequently, Leonardo's father married a girl from a noble family. Since this marriage turned out to be childless, he soon took his son to him.

It is believed that da Vinci was a vegetarian. The following words are attributed to him: “If a person strives for freedom, why does he keep birds and animals in cages?.. Man is truly the king of animals, because he cruelly exterminates them. We live by killing others. We are walking cemeteries! I gave up meat at an early age.”

Automobile

When you get acquainted with the works of da Vinci, you begin to understand why small Italy became the birthplace of legendary automobile brands. Back in the 15th century, an Italian inventor was able to sketch a “self-propelled carriage”, which became the prototype of modern cars. The cart developed by Leonardo had no driver and was driven by a spring mechanism.

Although the latter is just an assumption of modern scientists. It is not known for certain how exactly the master intended to move his invention forward. We also don’t know what the first car should have looked like. Leonardo paid the main attention not to the appearance of the structure, but to the technical characteristics. The cart was three-wheeled, like a children's bicycle. The rear wheels rotated independently of each other.

In 2004, Italian researchers managed to not only build a car designed by da Vinci, but also make it move! Scientist Carlo Pedretti managed to unravel the main mystery of Leonardo da Vinci's carriage, namely the principle of movement. The researcher suggested that the car should have been driven not by springs, but by special springs, which were located at the bottom of the structure.

Tank

Bestialissima pazzia (translated from Italian as “animal madness”) - this is precisely the unflattering epithet that the “Titan of the Renaissance” awarded the war. In his notes, da Vinci mentioned that he hated war and killing machines. Paradoxically, this did not stop him from developing new military equipment.

We should not forget that Leonardo did not live in times of peace. Italian cities had a difficult relationship with each other, and there was also the threat of French intervention. By the end of the 15th century, da Vinci had become a famous and respected military specialist. He presented his numerous military developments in a letter written to the Duke of Sforza in Milan.

One of the scientist's most exciting ideas was... a tank. However, it would be much more correct to call Leonardo’s design a distant prototype of armored vehicles of the 20th century. This structure had a round shape and looked like a turtle, bristling with tools on all sides. The inventor hoped to solve the problem of movement with the help of horses. However, this idea was quickly abandoned: in a confined space the animals could become uncontrollable.

Instead, the “engine” of such a tank would have to be eight people who would turn levers connected to the wheels, and thus move the combat vehicle forward. Another crew member had to be at the top of the device and indicate the direction of movement. Interestingly, the design of the armored vehicle allowed it to move only forward. As you might guess, at that time the tank concept had little chance of being realized.

A tank will become a truly effective weapon only when a suitable internal combustion engine can be created. Da Vinci’s main merit was that he managed to lift the curtain of history and look many centuries ahead.

Leonardo da Vinci was a truly versatile person. The inventor played the lyre beautifully and appeared in the records of the Milan court as a musician. Da Vinci was also interested in cooking. For thirteen years, the organization of court feasts rested on his shoulders. He developed several useful devices especially for cooks.

Chariot - scythe

Another very original and at the same time creepy invention of the genius of the Renaissance dates back to 1485. It received the simple name “chariot-scythe”. This chariot was a horse cart equipped with rotating scythes. The design does not at all claim to be the invention of the century. This invention was also not destined to come to fruition. On the other hand, the war chariot demonstrates the breadth of thought of da Vinci as a military specialist.

Machine gun

One of da Vinci's most famous inventions, ahead of its time, is considered to be a machine gun. Although it would be more correct to call Leonardo’s design a multi-barreled gun. Da Vinci had several designs for multiple rocket launchers. His most famous invention in this field is the so-called “musket in the shape of an organ pipe.” The design had a rotating platform on which three rows of muskets (arquebuses) with eleven barrels were placed.

The da Vinci machine gun could only fire three shots before reloading, but they would be enough to kill a large number of enemy soldiers. The main disadvantage of the design was that such a machine gun is extremely difficult to reload, especially in combat conditions. Another version of a multi-barreled gun involved the arrangement of a large number of muskets like a fan. The gun barrels were pointed in different directions, increasing the radius of destruction. Like the previous development, the “fan” gun was supposed to be equipped with wheels to increase mobility.

Cannonballs and "mobile" bridges

Perhaps da Vinci's most insightful invention was the keel-shaped cannonball. Such cannonballs were shaped like artillery shells of the 20th century. This development was many centuries ahead of its time. It demonstrates the scientist's deep understanding of the laws of aerodynamics.

An invention called the “rotating bridge” was of great value for its time. This bridge became the prototype of modern mobile mechanized bridges designed for quickly crossing troops from one bank to another. The Da Vinci Bridge was solid and attached to one bank. After installing the bridge, it was supposed to turn it to the opposite bank using ropes.

"Vitruvian Man" is one of Leonardo da Vinci's most famous drawings. The drawing is notable for its detailed recreation of the proportions of the human body. It simultaneously arouses scientific and cultural interest. It is noteworthy that long before the image of the “Vitruvian Man” by da Vinci, a similar drawing was made by the Italian scientist Mariano Taccola. True, the image of Taccola was only an undeveloped sketch.

The Sforza dynasty was the ruling dynasty of Milan during the Renaissance. The first Duke of Milan was Francesco Sforza, who reigned until 1466. In 1480, the talented cultural figure Lodovico Sforza became Duke of Milan. During his reign, the most capable artists and scientists of their time were invited to the court. One of them was Leonardo da Vinci.

“Mona Lisa” (“La Gioconda”) is perhaps the most mysterious example of painting in the world. The picture still raises many questions. So, it is not known for certain who exactly da Vinci depicted on his canvas. It is believed that the painting depicts the noble Florentine Lisa Gherardini. One of the most incredible theories is that the painting is a self-portrait of da Vinci himself.

Diving suit

Yes, yes, its invention is also attributed to da Vinci. The diving suit was made of leather and equipped with glass lenses. The diver could breathe using reed tubes. The scientist proposed the concept of a diving suit to repel the threat posed by the Turkish fleet. According to the idea, the divers were supposed to dive to the bottom and wait for the arrival of enemy ships.

When enemy ships appeared above the water, the divers had to commit sabotage and send the ships to the bottom. It was not destined to prove the correctness of this concept. Venice was able to resist the Turkish fleet without the help of saboteurs. By the way, the world’s first squad of combat swimmers appeared in Italy, but this happened only in 1941. The very design of the spacesuit, presented by da Vinci, can be considered innovative.

Submarine, mine, gun parts

Leonardo da Vinci's recordings have survived to this day, in which one can clearly see the prototype of a submarine. But there is very little information about her. Most likely, on the surface the ship could move using sails. Underwater, the ship had to move using oar power.

To destroy enemy ships, da Vinci designed a special underwater mine. According to the inventor's plan, such a mine could be delivered to the side of an enemy ship by saboteur divers or a submarine. This idea was first implemented only in the second half of the 19th century, during the American Civil War.

Despite the abundance of inventions, only one of them brought da Vinci fame during his lifetime. We are talking about a wheel lock for a pistol. In the 16th century, this development gave rise to a real technological boom. The design turned out to be so successful that it was used until the 19th century.

All of the above is not a complete list of da Vinci's inventions. In addition to these developments, among the master’s ideas were: a bearing, a mechanical ladder, a rapid-fire crossbow, a steam weapon, a ship with a double bottom, and much more.

Ideal city

If history had taken a different path, the small Italian town of Vigevano near Milan could have become a real wonder of the world. It was there that Leonardo da Vinci intended to realize his most ambitious idea - the ideal city. Da Vinci's project is reminiscent of a high-tech city of the future from literary works of science fiction. Or a utopia generated by the wild imagination of a writer.

The main feature of such a city was that it consisted of several tiers, connected by stairs and passages. As you might guess, the upper tier was intended for the upper strata of society. The lower one was allocated for trade and services. The most important elements of transport infrastructure were also located there. The city was to become not only the greatest architectural achievement of the time, but also to embody many technical innovations.

However, the project should not be perceived as a manifestation of soulless technocracy. Da Vinci paid a lot of attention to the comfort of the city's inhabitants. Practicality and hygiene were put at the forefront. The scientist decided to abandon narrow medieval streets in favor of spacious roads and squares.

One of the key aspects of the concept was the widespread use of water channels. Using a complex hydraulic system, water had to be supplied to every city building. Da Vinci believed that in this way it would be possible to eliminate unsanitary conditions and reduce the spread of disease to a minimum.

Having become familiar with the scientist’s concept, the Duke of Milan, Lodovico Sforza, considered the idea too adventurous. At the end of his life, Leonardo presented the same project to the French king Francis I. The scientist proposed to make the city the capital of the monarch, but the project remained on paper.

One of da Vinci's interests was anatomy. It is known that the master dismembered many corpses, trying to understand the mysteries of human anatomy. Most of all, the scientist was interested in the structure of muscles. Leonardo da Vinci wanted to understand the principle of human movement. He left behind many anatomical records.

Genius or plagiarist?

As you know, history develops in a spiral. Many inventions were born long before their development was appropriated by other inventors. Probably Leonardo da Vinci is no exception either. We should not forget that da Vinci had access to the scientific heritage of ancient civilization. In addition, da Vinci lived surrounded by the best minds of his time. He had the opportunity to communicate with outstanding figures of science and culture. The scientist could adopt many ideas from his colleagues.

Artist and engineer Mariano Taccola is a forgotten genius of the Renaissance. He died in 1453 (da Vinci was born in 1452). Unlike da Vinci, Mariano Taccola did not receive recognition during his life and did not gain worldwide fame after it. Meanwhile, many of Taccola’s developments were continued in the works of da Vinci. It is known that Leonardo was familiar with the works of Francesco di Giorgio, which, in turn, were based on the ideas of Taccola. For example, in di Giorgio's manuscripts da Vinci had the opportunity to become familiar with Taccola's concept of a diving suit.

It would be a mistake to consider da Vinci the inventor of flying machines. In the 11th century, the monk Aylmer of Malmesbury lived in England. Possessing a wide knowledge of mathematics, he built a primitive hang glider and even made a short flight on it. It is known that Aylmer managed to fly more than two hundred meters.

There is a high probability that Leonardo also borrowed the helicopter concept. But already from the Chinese. In the 15th century, traders from China brought toys that resembled mini-helicopters to Europe. A similar point of view is shared by the British historian Gavin Menzies, who believes that da Vinci adopted his most famous inventions from the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom. Menzies claims that in 1430 a Chinese delegation visited Venice, passing on to the Venetians many of the developments of Chinese scientists.

Be that as it may, Leonardo da Vinci always remains for us one of the greatest inventors of all times. Many ideas came to life thanks to Leonardo. The scientist improved various inventions and, more importantly, was able to make them visual. Do not forget that Leonardo da Vinci was a talented artist.

The master left many sketches for his developments. And even if the ideas attributed to da Vinci do not belong to him, it cannot be denied that the scientist was able to systematize a huge layer of knowledge, conveying this knowledge to his descendants.

Among the famous inventions described by Leonardo da Vinci in the collection Codex Atlanticus that has survived to this day: a bicycle, a self-propelled carriage - in fact, a distant ancestor of the modern car, a diving suit, a parachute, an ornithopter, a rolling bearing and others.

During the master’s lifetime, none of his numerous inventions were ever realized, but their value, both technical and purely historical, did not become lower because of this. It is possible that engineers of subsequent centuries, who are credited with the creation of certain inventions, could have been familiar with the ideas of Leonardo da Vinci and used them as the basis for their developments.

Bike

The phrase “invented the wheel,” which has become a symbol of the discovery of something known for a long time, cannot in any way be applied to the idea of ​​​​Leonardo da Vinci in an ironic sense. For he is truly the first inventor of this vehicle.

The bicycle, designed by the great engineer of the Renaissance, is almost no different in concept from modern models. Moreover, unlike the first samples created centuries later, it was much closer to those that are used now - wheels of equal diameter, chain drive, and a number of other elements that anticipated the completeness of the modern bicycle.

The only thing that distinguished Leonardo’s bicycle from modern cars for the better was the rigidly fixed front wheel, which did not allow it to turn.

Parachute

Despite the absence of any aircraft in his era, the idea of ​​a smooth and safe descent from high altitude was embodied in the sketches of the first parachute.

Leonardo not only developed the concept, but also accurately calculated the carrying capacity of the device; the area of ​​its dome was about 60 square meters, which almost fully corresponds to the parameters of modern parachutes. The suspension system was also in many ways similar to the modern one. The main difference from currently produced systems is the shape of the dome; it was not round and not like a “wing”, but had a pyramidal shape.

Self-propelled cart

The all-wood construction of the ancestral car was in many ways similar to an ordinary horse-drawn carriage, but it did not require harnessing horses to move it. The energy source – the “motor” – was a spring motor, the spiral elastic element of which had to be pre-compressed (twisted) manually using a special handle. An interesting feature of the car was that it was not intended to be used with a driver; control was carried out automatically, using a mechanism “programmed” for certain actions. Thus, Leonardo’s self-propelled cart was, in fact, not just the first car, but also the first self-propelled “robot”. The only drawback of the control system was that the cart could only turn to the right in order to avoid further complication of its design.

Diving suit

The underwater suit developed by Leonardo was practically no different from the modern one. Moreover, two options for the diver's air supply system were provided. In one case, it was supplied through a hose from the outside, in another, the submariners had to take supplies of it with them, enclosed in ordinary wine bottles. This is, perhaps, the only project of the inventor that was almost realized, but circumstances were such that the need to use the spacesuit for a specific purpose was no longer necessary, and no one wanted to finance the project, which had lost its practical significance.

Kaluga region, Borovsky district, Petrovo village

In the collection of monuments of the great on the territory of the ETNOMIR park there is also a portrait of the great. Before us is the harmonious personality of the creator, a wonderful, insightful and strong-willed man. Leonardo valued freedom above all else and did not understand how a person could combine his freedom with keeping birds in cages. Traders at the market always rejoiced at the arrival of Leonardo; he bought all the birds from them, immediately releasing them into the wild. It was this moment that was depicted in the bronze portrait of the great representative of the Renaissance by the sculptor Alexei Leonov.

The genius of the Renaissance was a man of encyclopedic knowledge; his entire life was spent observing and studying the world around him. Nothing fascinated him more than nature. The creator of undeniable masterpieces, an inspired artist, he suddenly lost interest in art, leaving his paintings unfinished. His student and biographer Vasari wrote that Leonardo’s soul “encouraged him to seek superiority over perfection, so that every work of his was slowed down by an excess of desires.” Contemporaries consider Leonardo da Vinci to be a great artist, but he considered himself a scientist.

Leonardo da Vinci is rightfully considered one of the greatest inventors in history. His inventions were sometimes so ahead of their time that they baffled modern scientists. Leonardo, as an inventor, is a shining example of a “universal man”, a genius in all areas of life. Under what conditions such a mind is born is still a huge mystery for researchers. And only one thing is extremely clear: such people are born very rarely and always make a huge, invaluable contribution to history, and their names will never be lost in history and will never lose their significance for people.

Leonardo da Vinci made incredible discoveries for his time. They were so ahead of his era that they seemed fantastic. Of course, as always happens with legendary personalities, the figure of Leonardo became overgrown with myths over time: some people began to attribute supernatural abilities to him, others began to add to the already large list of his inventions those that he did not make. All this happened because this man had a truly unique way of thinking, which could develop equally intensively in seemingly opposite directions: painting, biology, mechanics, literature, medicine... and in all these areas he made really important discoveries, some of which were never taken seriously by his contemporaries.

Military technical inventions of Leonardo da Vinci
Few people know that the great thinker had his own ideas about military equipment, which only centuries later came to life (of course, greatly improved). In Leonardo's notes, military vehicles were found that could be called analogues of a modern tank. In his notebooks, he depicted a “chariot” made of wood and metal armor that would look like a turtle on the outside. The tank had an observation tower at the very top and 36 guns located around the perimeter. This structure had to move on wheels and be driven by the efforts of several people. Another military invention of the genius is a cannon, which would now be called a “three-barreled gun.” The implementation of this mechanism would probably change the outcome of many wars in which Italy was involved.

Water and its inhabitants were of great interest to da Vinci. When the scientist lived in Venice, he devoted a lot of time to researching the underwater world and in the process created the first analogue of scuba gear. Leonardo assumed that such equipment could be used during water battles to cause damage to enemy ships. He made a special leather suit, equipped with glass lenses, reed tubes for air supply and an underwater bell that provided it. The suit even had a special compartment for toileting.

He was drawn not only to the depths of the sea, but also closer to the sky: among his sketches were found drawings depicting in detail the operation of devices for flight. One of these inventions is recognized as the prototype of a modern helicopter. He depicted a screw, which was supposed to be made of flax, and would subsequently have to be set in motion manually. Unfortunately, Leonardo lacked the resources and technical advances to bring this creation to life.

Da Vinci repeatedly attempted to create a device that would imitate a bird's wing. When this idea failed, he set out to create a device that would allow a person to glide. In addition, Leonardo came up with a parachute, which was not implemented at the time. The device involved a large fabric dome that would fill with air when falling and slow down the fall. However, a real parachute, working on approximately the same principle, was created only in the 20th century.

Leonardo also looked for new methods of moving on earth, and in his drawings he proposed one of the first mechanisms for a machine that would move “by itself.” It was assumed that it would be set in motion by a spring, and it would roll on three wheels. The fourth wheel was designed to create direction and turns. To drive such a “car” two people were needed. By the way, such a mechanism was actually assembled by enthusiasts from Florence in 2004. It worked exactly as described in the scientist's notes.

Da Vinci also made discoveries in the field of geology. He, contrary to the beliefs of his era, argued that the mountains were once much lower and rose upward over many millennia. He was helped to make such conclusions by shells, which were often found at the very tops of mountains. The main opinion of his compatriots was that these shells ended up there thanks to. The researcher insisted that they had been lying there since the time when the tops of the mountains were the shores of the seas.

Among other things, Leonardo da Vinci spent years researching human anatomy. His knowledge allowed him to imagine a prototype of a real robot in his notebooks. He based the machine on the same principle of movement that the human body uses. Its mechanism was driven by a system of pulleys and gears.

The genius also created things that any person has used at least once in everyday life, for example, a mechanical drill or a bicycle. In addition, he invented a wheeled pistol lock, which, by the way, was recognized during Leonardo’s lifetime, a telescope, a searchlight, a catapult... Of course, all these things are now modernized and unrecognizable when compared with the works of the genius. But does this detract from his merits?

Art of Leonardo da Vinci
Everyone knows the paintings painted by Leonardo da Vinci: they are legendary, will never become obsolete and will always be of great value to humanity. The genius created during the Renaissance and his painting is the clearest example of the art of that time. And despite the fact that Leonardo did not discover any new components in tempera or oil, his composition was innovative for that time. He intricately combined painting and architecture on canvas, creating an ideal perspective, which is still not available to every professional artist.

The subjects of Leonardo's paintings, in turn, speak of him as an unrivaled thinker and philosopher. Studying Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, researchers and art historians are still finding new interpretations not only of the works themselves, but also of the Bible.

After the death of the genius, his friend published da Vinci’s fundamental work, “Treatise on Painting.” At the moment, it has not only artistic and historical value, but also literary value: the monograph is written in an even and light style, which was not used in the 15th century. Leonardo's invaluable legacy is also contained in his work “On the Game of Chess.” The genius illustrated the book, written by another mathematician, and also, according to many researchers, composed a significant part of the problems contained in it. Chess masters still use them in their moves.

In addition to the above, Leonardo left behind more than seven thousand pages of notes, drawings and sketches, and in 2005 an archive was found in which even more manuscripts of the genius could be discovered. Perhaps in them humanity will discover new sides of an already truly multifaceted personality

4-04-2017, 21:48

In our age of robotics and advanced science, it is difficult to imagine that a number of modern mechanisms were already invented back in the 15th century. The author of many inventions is the greatest thinker of the Middle Ages, Leonardo da Vinci. Studying his drawings, engineers are amazed at the precision of the details, thanks to which inventions can function without the use of electronics, fuel materials, or computerization of processes.

A self-propelled trolley (the prototype of a modern car), a helicopter, a tank, and now, using his ancient drawings, can be built and operate flawlessly.

An invention for the ages

Leonardo da Vinci repeatedly spoke with disgust about the conduct of military operations. However, he paid a lot of attention to creating more advanced killing weapons on the battlefield.

Unfortunately, most of these inventions were not implemented, although they receive due recognition from modern military engineers. The most famous of them is an armored tank on wheels in the form of a dome. It had to be served by 8 people.

According to modern engineers, if this design had been used in medieval wars, they would have been much bloodier.

But the invention of a wheel lock for a pistol, which was wound up with a key, was implemented in the production of handguns during the lifetime of the inventor. This mechanism earned particular popularity and was used in muskets and pistols in subsequent centuries.

For lovers of scuba diving

Leonardo da Vinci's inventions in the field of underwater diving were recognized by his contemporaries, and have survived to this day in an unchanged or slightly improved form. Many people don’t even realize that a lifebuoy and swimming fins were created by a brilliant scientist.

Most people in the 21st century think that the diving suit was created by Yves Cousteau. This is partly true. But before him, Leonardo da Vinci made drawings and descriptions of diving equipment.

For a medieval diver, a suit made of waterproof leather was intended; he put a metal sphere with many round glass windows on his head to view the surrounding area. The supply of oxygen was provided by a tube that was attached to air-filled bottles on the back.

Note from NASA

The great inventor Leonardo da Vinci left his mark on robotics. Based on a study of the anatomy of the corpses of the dead, he created drawings and developed a prototype of a mechanical man.

It is known that the robot was designed and found its application at the court of Lodovico Sforza, an admirer and patron of the famous scientist. It was used for entertainment.

The robot was dressed in the armor of a knight. He could walk, sit up, and move his jaws. Unfortunately, the invention has not survived to this day. One can only guess about the capabilities of the mechanism.

But the surviving drawings from the 15th century interested the developers of modern models of planetary reconnaissance robots. Although the first robot was driven by an ingenious combination of bearings and gears, NASA plans to use some of the ideas for developments intended for space exploration.

Implementation of ideas in bridge construction and other branches of engineering

Leonardo da Vinci's developments in the field of engineering structures interested bridge builders of the 21st century. Based on ancient drawings, a 100-meter pedestrian bridge was built and put into operation in 2001 in the Norwegian town of As.

During construction, engineers deviated from the original description only twice. Leonardo da Vinci's bridge is 246 meters longer and was oriented towards stone construction. The embodied structure is made of wood.

The architectural structure is an almost exact copy of the bridge project, which was designed by order of the Turkish Sultan Bayazet II. It was planned to install it in Istanbul across the Golden Horn. But for unknown reasons, the ruler refused to implement his plans.

The modern Leonardo da Vinci Bridge serves as a pedestrian crossing at a height of 8 m above the E-18 motorway, 35 km south of Oslo.

Another invention - a device that compresses air and is capable of driving it through pipes - has found its application in the development of ventilation systems. It is also used to create draft in blast furnaces.

Contributions to modern medicine

Without any special education in the field of medicine, just relying on extensive knowledge of human anatomy, Leonardo da Vinci left behind a legacy used in modern surgery.

From the time of the scientist’s life, many very detailed images of the anatomical structure of the scientist’s human organs have been preserved. The drawings are so detailed that they are more reminiscent of photographs taken by modern tomography.

Based on one of the works of Leonardo da Vinci, in the 20th century, American surgeons performed a successful heart operation to replace one of the organ’s valves.

The drawings of the famous inventor’s mechanisms do not go unnoticed by modern scientists. Currently, based on them, the design of a surgical robot for performing operations is being developed. The development must have ultra-precision, which a human surgeon does not have. It is planned that drawings from the 15th century will be used to create the new product.

The use of a surgical robot will significantly reduce injuries during complex operations, reduce the degree of pain, and ensure rapid rehabilitation of patients after surgery. The miracle of surgery will be named after Leonardo da Vinci.

RIA VistaNews correspondent