''Doing DaVinci'' is a

popular science ''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...

television program originally aired on the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Channe ...

in which the hosts attempted to create many of

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

inventions An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an i ...

. The show aired on a weekly schedule with the first episode broadcast on April 13, 2009.

Team

The inventions are created by a team of six members: * Valek Sykes, a

special effect Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, F/X or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual wor ...

s expert and mechanical designer, actor, owner of Tech Works Studios and Exit Biohazard and Crime Scene Cleanup * Bill Duggan, a

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...

and the host of ''

Curb Appeal Curb appeal is attractiveness of the exterior of a residential or commercial property, as viewed from the street. The term was extensively used in the United States during the housing boom and continues to be used as an indicator of the initial ...

'' * Flash Hopkins, an artist, builder, and long time

Burning Man Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States. The name of the event comes from its culminating ceremony: the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, referred ...

personality *Jurgen Heimann, a designer and

puppeteer A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, called a puppet, to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from ...

*Alan Bovinett, an entrepreneur and

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

. *Terry Sandin, a mechanical and animatronics engineer and a host of ''

Prototype This! ''Prototype This!'' is an American television with the stated goal to "look into the viability of gadgets and technology seen in science-fiction movies". The series premiered on October 15, 2008, on The Discovery Channel. It was filmed on Treasure ...

'' The team consults with da Vinci researcher Jonathan Pevsner to understand the inventions and decide on materials for their construction.

Construction

The team first consults with Jonathan Pevsner to decide on materials and map out the basics of the design. The invention is then reconstructed in

Autodesk Inventor Autodesk Inventor is a computer-aided design application for 3D mechanical design, simulation, visualization, and documentation developed by Autodesk. Features Inventor allows 2D and 3D data integration in a single environment, creating a virt ...

and

Autodesk Autodesk, Inc. is an American multinational software corporation that makes software products and services for the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media, education, and entertainment industries. Autodesk is headquartered ...

's Digital Prototyping solutions. Then the team heads to a workshop to begin construction. After the invention is completed it is tested to determine whether or not the build was a success.

Episodes

Notes

{{Leonardo da Vinci American non-fiction television series 2009 American television series debuts 2010 American television series endings Discovery Channel original programming Science education television series Depictions of Leonardo da Vinci on television