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See working models of Da Vinci's inventions!
The scientific genius of Leonardo da Vinci is on show at an exhibition here of 62 functioning full-scale and miniature models of his inventions, the biggest such display in the world.
The scientific genius of Leonardo da Vinci is on show at an exhibition here of 62 functioning full-scale and miniature models of his inventions, the biggest such display in the world.
His designs include a forerunner of the bicycle, breathing apparatus for divers, hang gliders, elevators, parachutes, cog-wheels, jacks, military tanks, and other warcraft, including a mobile ladder for attacking enemy walls, that looks much like the ones used by firefighters today.
"Computer graphics have enabled the discovery of hidden information" in Da Vinci's multitude of technical drawings and "made it possible to make them work by computer simulation," said Italian cabinet-maker and mechanic Nicolai Gabriele.
The models, in wood, metal and cloth, were produced by Gabriele and a colleague after careful study of Da Vinci's sketches, accompanied by thousands of pages of handwritten explanations on how the inventions would work.
This legacy, in quantity at least, far outweighs the 17 surviving canvasses by the Italian artist who is most famous for his work the "Mona Lisa".
Gabriele and his colleague Paolo Tarchiani built many of the working models and say they have received a nod of approval from the academic Carlo Pedretti, one of the world's foremost Da Vinci specialists.
According to the organisers, the exhibition is the most complete of its kind with more models on display than in any Italian museum.
Some of Da Vinci's inventions were put into practical use during his lifetime, like a dredge on floats to free up the canals near Milan and a mobile river bridge on wheels.
Others were used later, like the bomb shells Napoleon had made using Da Vinci's designs as a model.
But most of his inventions lingered on the drawing board for much longer, such as the ship's hull with watertight compartments to stop it from sinking, which Gabriele says was perhaps his most important invention. The double hull is now becoming the norm in petrol tankers.
Da Vinci's bicycle is a curious affair and appears to have been designed by one of his students after an idea the master had. It already has a transmission chain between the pedals and the back wheel, something that was missing in the early bicycles of the late 19th century.
His famous series of flying machines are based on a long study of the workings of birds' wings.
They sometimes proved dangerous. One demonstration ended in a crash which nearly killed one of Da Vinci's servants.
But others managed to fly in modern times, such as the giant pyramid parachute that has been successfully tested in Canada.
Da Vinci also dreamed up instruments to be used when flying, such as a wind speed meter and a gyroscope.
Asked about Dan Brown's worldwide bestseller, "The Da Vinci Code", Gabriele drew a parallel between the secrets or mysteries which the books says Leonardo liked to hide in some paintings like "The last Supper", and small details in his technological sketches.
Such details were apparently aimed at preventing undue use of his discoveries, centuries before the concept of patents and copyright was born.
"The only original built by Da Vinci that remains to this day, is a sluice near Milan. But unfortunately the authorities did not protect it as a monument and it is now falling apart," Gabriele said.
The exhibition, largely aimed at schoolchildren, is illustrated in a way even the futuristic Da Vinci could never have imagined. A sponsor has provided cell phones where visitors can watch videos of the workings of the inventions.
The exhibition titled Leonardo Da Vinci, Mensch, Erfinder, Genie" ("Man, inventor and genius") runs at the Vienna Art Centre until May 29.
