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Leonardo's self-propelled cart is an invention designed by
A replica of the self-propelled cart is kept at the museum
Self-Propelled Cart
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{{Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci projects
Leonardo's self-propelled cart is an invention designed by 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 ...
, considered the ancestor of the modern automobile
A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods.
The year 1886 is regarde ...
.
Info
The machine is powered by two symmetric springs. While one spring would be enough to move the device, two symmetric springs probably looked like a more "logically perfect" solution. Leonardo had been well aware that the powering force provided by the springs drops significantly when they unwind. In order to deliver smooth and stable motion, the machine features abalance wheel
A balance wheel, or balance, is the timekeeping device used in mechanical watches and small clocks, analogous to the pendulum in a pendulum clock. It is a weighted wheel that rotates back and forth, being returned toward its center position by a ...
, as used in clocks. The control mechanism is quite complex and allows it to follow a pre-programmed path automatically. The machine also features a mechanism similar to a differential that in addition allows the turning angle to be set.
A replica of the self-propelled cart is kept at the museum Clos Lucé
The Château du Clos Lucé (or simply Clos Lucé), formerly called Manoir du Cloux, is a large château located in the center of Amboise, in the department of Indre-et-Loire, in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. It is located in the natur ...
, near Château d'Amboise
The Château d'Amboise is a château in Amboise, located in the Indre-et-Loire ''département'' of the Loire Valley in France. Confiscated by the monarchy in the 15th century, it became a favoured royal residence and was extensively rebuilt. K ...
, in France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. The television show ''Doing DaVinci
''Doing DaVinci'' is a popular science television program originally aired on the Discovery Channel in which the hosts attempted to create many of Leonardo da Vinci's inventions. The show aired on a weekly schedule with the first episode broadcas ...
'' also made a replica in 2009.
See also
*Atlantic Codex
The Codex Atlanticus (Atlantic Codex) is a 12-volume, bound set of drawings and writings (in Italian) by Leonardo da Vinci, the largest single set. Its name indicates the large paper used to preserve original Leonardo notebook pages, which was us ...
* Science and inventions of Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was an Italian polymath, regarded as the epitome of the "Renaissance Man", displaying skills in numerous diverse areas of study. Whilst most famous for his paintings such as the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Last Supper'' ...
References
External links
Self-Propelled Cart
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{{Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci projects