Introduction
It is crucial to mention that Leonardo da Vinci was an extremely gifted human being. Indeed, artist, inventor, and scientist are only some of the titles that da Vinci held during his 67-year life. Although da Vinci lived several centuries before, many of his progressive prototypes created the basis for the latest inventions in humanity’s scientific and technological progress. Thus, it is essential to provide information about the achievements of Leonardo da Vinci.
The Inventions of Leonardo da Vinci
Da Vinci had always been fascinated by the possibility of flight, so he dedicated much of his time to devise ways to take humanity into the air. The inventor was motivated by the idea of bringing people dangerously down from the sky to the ground (Isaacson, 2017). Eventually, he designed the first parachute in history: a wooden pyramidal structure draped with a piece of cloth that would slow a person’s terminal velocity as they fell to the ground from a height. According to Da Vinci himself, it would enable a person to duck from any great height without suffering any injury (Isaacson, 2017). A razor-sharp mind can be a nation’s best defense mechanism, which is why it is no coincidence that Da Vinci worked in the military field to find ways to increase the chances of success in war.
Another invention that changed the world is Da Vinci’s diving suit, which was originally designed as a way to prevent invading ships. It would enable individuals to engage in a small underwater diversion by cutting holes in the bottom of an enemy hull. Unfortunately, the design, complete with a breathing hose and glass goggles, was not needed at the time, and it stalled in its development at the planning stage (Isaacson, 2017). It is also worth noting that Da Vinci designed a flying machine and drew inspiration from bats and birds. He developed a design for an apparatus where the pilot lies in the center and pedals a machine connected to a rod-pulley system to propel the machine. Once in the air, the wings would flap like a bird’s. Unfortunately, the necessary tools were unavailable then to launch the device into flight (Isaacson, 2017). However, the development of Leonardo Da Vinci was the first impetus for the design and planning of modern aircraft and helicopters.
Moreover, Da Vinci’s self-propelled carriage is nominated as the first automobile in history. Moreover, since it had no driver, it can also be regarded as the first robotic transport in history. Da Vinci’s drawings do not fully reveal the internal mechanism, so modern engineers had to guess what made the cart go forward (Isaacson, 2017). The best guess was a spring mechanism like the one used in watches. That is, the springs were hidden in drum-shaped cases and could be wound by hand. While the spring unwinds, the cart rides forward like a wind-up toy (Isaacson, 2017). The steering wheel could have been programmed with a series of blocks in the gear chain, although the fact that the cart could only turn to the right would have severely limited its usefulness.
Conclusion
Thus, Leonardo da Vinci may have been the most famous inventor in history, but in his time the technology was not good enough to construct his designs. Nevertheless, when listing the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci, it should be mentioned that he was self-taught and did not receive any formal education other than basic knowledge of reading, writing, and mathematics. Therefore, this demonstrates that anyone can try to achieve heights in any field if they have a strong desire.
Reference
Isaacson, W. (2017). Leonardo da Vinci. Simon and Schuster.