Leonardo da Vinci: Artist, Inventor and Visionary

642 Words2 Pages

Leonardo da Vinci was the famous artist behind the Mona Lisa, but he was not only known for his works of art. He was also known for his scientific creations. The curiosity and intelligence he had inspired him to study science and the nature of physics, as well as explore outside of the boundaries of his era. Although he lived more than centuries ago, the artist created many things that are still used by people today. His developments in military engineering and aerophysics influenced many other renowned scientists and inventors. (Biography) Da Vinci was fascinated with the art of a bird’s flight and strived to achieve the perfection of human flight, which gave him the idea to design the ornithopter. The frame of the ornithopter, or human flying machine, was designed to be made pine wrapped in pure silk, in a gondola-like shape, making it lightweight yet durable at the same time. The operator would have laid down in the middle of the apparatus, pedaling a lever attached to a pulley system as well as cranking another one for an increase in energy. This would have caused the wings to flap. (Flying Machine) However, his plan was flawed, as a human could never produce enough power to get the machine off the ground. However, like the ornithopter, an amount of power this size would never be feasible for the …show more content…

He believed that cannons were too slow in the loading process, so he created the idea of building shooters with multiple barrels. The organ’s plan had 33 small-gauge guns connected to a spinning stand. The apparatus had three rows of 11 guns, so the first row would fire first when activated, rotating to the next one afterward. This was designed to allow time for chilling and reloading the guns without having to cease shooting. Da Vinci’s barreled organ is considered the precursor to the modern-day machine gun, which was not used for profit until the 1800’s.

More about Leonardo da Vinci: Artist, Inventor and Visionary

Open Document