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Leonardo's fighting vehicle

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Sketch

Leonardo da Vinci's tank features one of the inventions by famous Italian scholar and artist Leonardo da Vinci [1].

Design

The machine was designed while Leonardo da Vinci was under the patronage of Ludovico Sforza in 1487 [2]. Considered a prototype of modern tanks, da Vinci'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 that add to thickness. Slanting angles would deflect enemy fire. The machine was powered by two large inside cranks operated by four strong men. Tank was equipped with an array of light cannons, neatly placed around the perimeter [3].
A few years ago a group of engineers recreated Leonardo’s tank based on the original design. The mistake in gearing was fixed [2].

Use

The tank was designed to intimidate the enemy rather that to be used as a serious military weapon. Due to the vehicle's impressive sizes it wouldn't be capable of moving on the rugged terrain. The project could hardly be applied and realized in the XV century, but it determined the direction of the future tank engineering [4].

Facts

To make the tank unworkable, da Vinci located the gears of the design in the reverse order. That was done as a form of security in case his design was stolen and used irresponsibly [5].

Leonardo's tank also appeared in the game Assassin's Creed[2].

References

  1. ^ Cynthia Phillips, Shana Priwer. Leonardo's Tank. Netplaces.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  2. ^ a b c Leonardo da Vinci’s Tank. Leonardodavincisinventions.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  3. ^ Da Vinci’s Tank: A War Machine for the Duke of Milan. Davincilife.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  4. ^ Armoured Car. Da-vinci-inventions.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  5. ^ Da Vinci Invention. Leonardo-da-vinci-biography.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.

Leonardo da Vinci Inventions

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