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526 Years On, Da Vinci's Clockwork Car Constructed

Posted by timothy on from the bright-fella dept.

SimianOverlord writes "The Guardian (and several other news outlets) report on the attempt by Professor Paulo Galluci and his team to build a working model of Leonard Da Vinci's clockwork powered car, designed in 1478. Previous attempts have been made to create the vehicle, but they failed to work properly. This is thought to be due to a misunderstanding of the original design, which is corrected in the new model. Apart from the 1/3 scale replica, the team have also made a full size model but have not dared to test it. Professor Galluzzi explained "It is a very powerful machine. It could run into something and do serious damage.""

26 of 402 comments (clear)

  1. fascinating by msim · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's taken them long enough to figure it out.

    I guess that 2 things can be learned from this
    1) Da Vinci was a genius ahead of his own time
    2) Document your frigging drawings! were not all mind readers ya know!

    --

    Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know when your gonna get food poisoning.
    1. Re:fascinating by natrius · · Score: 5, Funny

      The fact that his drawings weren't commented is what tipped us off to his genius in the first place. Everyone knows smart people don't comment.

    2. Re:fascinating by Seekerofknowledge · · Score: 5, Informative
      // |/| 4 1 (| |/| 3-3 _| + + 1 _| 0 + '| 3 =| =| |_| 8 3 |-| +
      // 2 |V| '| 0 =| 2 |/| 4 '| + |/| 0 1 + ) |/| |_| =| 2 1 |-| +
      void to_little_endian(void * buffer) {

      Whew, I finally figured out what that said. It only took about 5 mins, a mirror, and some head-scratching.

      For all of those who don't have a mirror handy, or are too lazy (who are we kidding :), it says:

      the buffer to little-endian
      this function transforms


      One more thing:
      I guess this function knows how big a buffer to convert? I mean, is it converting some words to little-endian or dwords? hmm, what about 64-bit ints? Doesn't seem very clear. I hope this didn't come out of the Linux kernel :P
    3. Re:fascinating by kfg · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Particularly smart people before the advent of a patent system.

      Once upon a time, in a New World far, far away from it's cultural origins, there arose a new nation, founded by men who thought very hard about what they were doing and, for the most part, got things pretty right (there are always men who think only of their own benefit who muck up the system).

      Thomas Jefferson got the patent system pretty right, and while things were under his direct control the system worked very well and Leonardo (had he come to America) would have felt free to publish and comment without fear, and the public would not have had to wait hundreds of years for his ideas to become freely available to them. This system actually stood as a model for the world for 100 years.

      But extraordinary men are always replaced by lesser men.

      Patents are not the problem. Patents are the solution to a problem that most people have forgotten existed. Except, perhaps, those trying to create corporeal versions of Leonardo's drawings.

      The problem is protectionism bolstered by greed. Congress, of course, is supposed to represent the people in creating systems that allow the people to engage in profit making enterprises without abrogating the rights of the people.

      But congress, for the most part, is made up of these lesser men, driven by protectionism and greed.

      "What if you were an idiot? And what if you were a member of congress? But I repeat myself." --Mark Twain.

      KFG

    4. Re:fascinating by Radical+Rad · · Score: 5, Interesting
      "Even a simplten with a mere IQ of 210 will be able to understand these drawings, no need to document"

      I saw somewhere that DaVinci purposely put flaws into his drawings as a type of copy protection. Only another genius would be able to see the flaw and build the device correctly. This would come in handy if his plans were stolen or captured since many of his designs were commissioned for siege craft.

    5. Re:fascinating by kfg · · Score: 5, Insightful

      In fact, my experience is that only another genius would recognize that the work of a genius could have flaws that require correcting.

      Most people are sheep and blindly follow "the directions," even when those directions result in nonfunctioning items. They blame the nonfunctionality on themselves, rather than on the design.

      Hence the notations you'll find on many processed food products these days, "You'll find that this might taste good with a little cheese on it. Or maybe some salt." They have to be told to "think outside the box," as it were. Many people get all weird about the idea of even modifying a published recipe. The published version is the "correct" version in their minds. Perhaps this phemonenon is a good part of why some people get all weird about the idea of open source software. They need to feel that out there, somewhere, is a definatively "correct" version, handed down from the mountain engraved on stone tablets by some programing god or other.

      Most people who play classical music play it as if they were some sort of flawed mechanism in a player piano whose function is to reproduce the markings on the paper as closely, and mechanically, as possible.

      The musical genius recognizes that the markings on the paper are one genius talking to another genius, saying, "Hey, look at this idea," and interprets the music.

      KFG

    6. Re:fascinating by fenix+down · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Although he certaintly encoded his work on things other than weapons, mostly after he got old, his defense contractor work is most of what's encoded. Leonardo didn't give a shit about intellectual property, he had patrons. He didn't have to worry about the artist down the block stealing his animatronic kight design and taking over his contract with Wal-Mart. He got paid even when he didn't produce anything, which is actually what happened most of the time, and why he changed patrons more often than he changed his underwear.

      He encoded the tanks and the ballistas and everything in case the wrong guy wanted to build them. He encoded other things for his own reasons, but he never encoded anything because he was afraid that Italian noblemen would start paying for the bragging rights of having the guy who ripped off Da Vinci stay in the guest house.

    7. Re:fascinating by LilGuy · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Reminds me of grade school. No matter which class, there would always be some kid sitting next to me, peeking over at my paper. I'd act like I didn't notice/care, but secretly mark wrong answers. As soon as they finished their test, I'd go back and change them to the right answers.

      I fooled kids for many years that way. No one ever confronted me as to why I always had a higher grade than they did.
      Served them right.

      --

      You're nothing; like me.
    8. Re:fascinating by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      A food preparer follows the recipie.. a Great chef looks at the recipie for the general idea, throws it aside and then creates the meal.

      Great Chef's also are extremely happy to tell you all about that meal, even the ingredients and enough information that another chef can reproduce it very well, if not exactly.. althoguh the taste will still be different as you cannot recreate the chef's steps exactly... not even the great chef can reproduce his creations exactly.

      The Best minds in the world are happy to share with you how it was done... it is the no talent hacks with something to hide that favor hiding everything from view.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  2. Turns only to the right? by bearl · · Score: 5, Funny

    A programmable steering mechanism allows it go straight, or turn at pre-set angles. But only to the right.

    To the right? That's of no use! Reprogram that sucker to turn left and send it to NASCAR.

  3. Clockwork Car? by haRDon · · Score: 5, Funny

    I wonder if it'll get you to work on time?

  4. It can only turn right... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I guess DaVinci agrees that we should be Left Hand Drive...

  5. Not on the road? by dankney · · Score: 5, Funny
    "It is a very powerful machine. It could run into something and do serious damage."

    And the SUV that nearly killed me this morning isn't?

    The real reason it isn't on the road is government regulation. There needs to be a 10-year rigorous testing project to make sure it meets federal emmission standards.

  6. I can't wait... by lewko · · Score: 5, Funny

    Until homeless bums jump in front of your clockwork car at traffic lights, start cranking and then demand five bucks...

    --
    Do you or your partner snore? - Visit www.snoring.com.au
  7. that's nothing... by physicsphairy · · Score: 5, Funny

    I will soon complete a modern version of Da Vinci's nuclear breeder reactor as soon as I can find a wood cog that decelerates neutron emissions.

    --
    When things get complex, multiply by the complex conjugate.
  8. The secret has been revieled by geekoid · · Score: 5, Funny

    1) Make obscure drawings the kind of look like what you are thinkging of
    2) Don't document, allow other to figure it out
    3)Profit!

    wait, that would be management.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  9. Interesting feature... by schmink182 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Open top three-wheeler. 2004 reg. Italian design and craftsmanship. Zero mpg. No emissions. Easy parking. Programmable steering
    (Emphasis mine)

    Not to pick nits, but shouldn't it have infinite miles per gallon? Zero miles per gallon implies that, no matter how much gas you put in it, it'll never go anywhere.

  10. Re:Impressive.... by electrichamster · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This has been done - There was a programme on Channel 4 (UK) about three weeks ago in which they successfully built his glider and flew it. It flew very well, although it was apparently like nothing that currently exists with regards to handling, and it had no yaw (I think thats the word) at all.

  11. Picture of car by Lord_Dweomer · · Score: 5, Interesting
    For those who don't want to RTFA and just want to see what it looks like:

    Enjoy.

    If anybody happens to have a link to a picture of the actual plans, I would be QUITE interested in getting a look at those.

    --
    Buy Steampunk Clothing Online!
    1. Re:Picture of car by chevybowtie · · Score: 5, Informative

      For a hires version, try here

  12. Found a picture by insanechemist · · Score: 5, Informative

    Was curious about the drawing and found a copy here (Google cache)

    --
    I thought it was a good idea
  13. Re:Is it just me... by TummyX · · Score: 5, Funny

    Perhaps they don't want to depreciate the value of the car by increasing the milage on the clock.

  14. Here is a pic of the machine.... by cowmix · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/automobile/

  15. How do they know they got it right? by harlows_monkeys · · Score: 5, Insightful
    My understanding is that people have tried to build this thing before, and failed.

    So we assume that because DaVinci was such a genius, this failure must be due to people failing to understand his design. Bright people then try to figure out what he could have meant.

    It seems to me there is a very real possibility that what we actually have is a new design by those bright people, somewhat inspired by DaVinci's ideas.

    1. Re:How do they know they got it right? by NSash · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It's well-known that he built subtle flaws into many of his designs. It was a common practice of inventors before patents were created: he alone knew the "mistakes" he had introduced, and could easily fix them, but anyone else who stole his notes would spend a long time making something that would never run.

      (One example is the mechanical lion he built for the king of Spain. If you build it exactly as described in his design, it is impossible for it to move: its gears turn against each other. Yet DaVinci did build it, and it worked.)

  16. Safety concerns? by mdielmann · · Score: 5, Interesting

    How can you tell this car was built by academics? They spend god knows how many hours building a car out of wood, from purposely obfuscated plans that are half a thousand years old, and have never heard of the Utah salt flats. I mean come on, they test rocket cars there! Do they really think a giant wind-up toy is going to do better than that?

    --
    Sure I'm paranoid, but am I paranoid enough?