Leonardo's fighting vehicle
Leonardo da Vinci's fighting vehicle also known as Da Vinci's Tank is one of the conceptions of the revered Italian polymath and artist Leonardo da Vinci.[1]
Design
The concept was designed while Leonardo da Vinci was under the patronage of Ludovico Sforza in 1487.[2] Sometimes described as a prototype of modern tanks, Leonardo's armored vehicle represented a conical cover inspired by a turtle's shell. The covering was to be made of wood and reinforced with metal plates. Slanting angles would deflect enemy fire, similar to Sloped armour today. The machine was powered by two large cranks operated internally by four strong men. The vehicle was equipped with an array of light cannons, placed around the perimeter.[3]
The gears of the design were located in a reversed order, making the vehicle unworkable. This is thought by some sources[who?] to have been a deliberate mistake by Leonardo as a form of security, in case his design was stolen and used irresponsibly. However it's almost impossible to fix this problem successfully without taking away power from its forward movement and strength. Regardless, the vehicle would have been too heavy to move and would have lacked the battlefield mobility seen in modern tanks that make them so effective.[4]
The armored vehicle was designed to intimidate the enemy rather than to be used as a serious military weapon. Due to the vehicle's impressive size, it would not be capable of moving on rugged terrain. The project could hardly be applied and realized in the 15th century.[5]
Around 2010, a group of engineers recreated Leonardo's vehicle, based on the original design, and fixed the mistake in gearing.[6]
See also
References
- ^ Cynthia B. Phillips, Shana Priwer. Leonardo's Tank. Netplaces.com. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
- ^ "Leonardo da Vinci Tank – Leonardo's fighting vehicle, Davinci tank". Leonardo da Vinci's Inventions. March 24, 2022.
- ^ Da Vinci's Tank: A War Machine for the Duke of Milan. Davincilife.com. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
- ^ Da Vinci Invention Archived August 11, 2014, at archive.today. Leonardo-da-vinci-biography.com. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
- ^ Armored Car Archived September 1, 2018, at the Wayback Machine. Da-vinci-inventions.com. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
- ^ "Leonardo da Vinci Tank – Leonardo's fighting vehicle, davinci tank". Leonardo da Vinci's Inventions. March 24, 2022.
External links
- Leonardo da Vinci's inventions
- Studies of military tank-like machines; including one at top with horses pulling a contraption with revolving scythes Pen and brown ink, The British Museum, Item number 1860,0616.99.
- v
- t
- e
- The Annunciation
- The Baptism of Christ ✻
- The Madonna of the Carnation
- Ginevra de' Benci
- Benois Madonna
- The Adoration of the Magi
- Saint Jerome in the Wilderness
- Madonna Litta ✻
- Virgin of the Rocks
- Portrait of a Musician ✻✻
- Lady with an Ermine
- La Belle Ferronnière
- The Last Supper
- Sala delle Asse
- Portrait of Isabella d'Este
- The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist
- Buccleuch Madonna ✻
- Salvator Mundi ✻✻
- Lansdowne Madonna ✻
- The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne
- Mona Lisa
- La Scapigliata
- Saint John the Baptist
- Medusa
- Madonna and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist
- The Holy Infants Embracing
- The Battle of Anghiari
- Leda and the Swan
- Budapest Horse
- Horse and Rider
- Sforza Horse (unexecuted)
- Study for the Madonna of the Cat
- Compositional Sketches for the Virgin Adoring the Christ Child, with and without the Infant St. John the Baptist
- Head of a Bear
- The Head of the Virgin in Three-Quarter View Facing Right
- The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian
- Head of a Woman
- Vitruvian Man
- Head of Christ
- Studies of the Fetus in the Womb
- Portrait of a Man in Red Chalk
- Architonnerre
- Divina proportione (illustrations)
- Great Kite
- Harpsichord-viola
- Aerial screw
- Crossbow
- Fighting vehicle
- Robot
- Self-propelled cart
- Octant projection
- Rapid fire crossbow
- Sonar
- Viola organista
- World Map
- Cultural references
- Namesakes
- Portraits of Leonardo
- Conservation-restoration of The Last Supper
- Mona Lisa replicas and reinterpretations
- High Renaissance
- Mathematics and art
- The Lost Leonardo
- ✻ Collaboration
- ✻✻ Possible collaboration
- Category