Da Vinci Machines Exhibition

The Da Vinci Machines Exhibition is currently running until 1st October at the Promenade on the Newquay area. The exhibition is a collection of models of the machines that Da Vinci wrote about and/or created. The model were constructed using materials that are available at that time.

Below: Promenade at Newquay

Below: Across from the Promenade is Telstra Dome

Below: The Promenade viewed from the end of it back towards Telstra Dome

Most of the machines were quite interesting. Even with own knowledge of modern mechanics and having done a few subjects at uni, some of the contraptions still puzzled me. I had to read the description on some to work out how the machine operated. Even then, some of them took a while to slowly figure out how it worked. Da Vinci was truly a genius. He had already know about so many mechanical concepts 500 years ago that some people nowadays would have no idea of even.

My favourite machines were the flying machines. The fact that none of them actually worked doesn't matter. The concept is there, and he just didn't have the necessary technology to make them work. Human strength can only take you so far. Da Vinci's flying machines would have worked if you could spin things fast enough, or apply enough force on something, or just have better lighter materials.

Below: A rotating platform on a ship so that cannons can be repositioned without having to be lifted by many men.

Below: A machine to cut grass or to cut the enemies legs? You decide. Apparently Da Vinci designed it to cut grass, but that wasn't it's final use.

Below: An early version of a helicopter.

Below: An early glider.

Below: A machine that rotates heavy shafts horizontally using a pulley system.

Below: An early version of a tank.