(ORDO NEWS) — The idea of the Italian artist, scientist and engineer was realized after 530 years.
In the late 1480s, Leonardo da Vinci sketched in his Parisian manuscript a drawing of a single-seat helicopter propelled by a “propeller”.
You may have seen these drawings and wondered if such a craft could ever take off. Now we know the answer – the Italian genius was right.
Beginning in 2019, a team of University of Maryland engineers developed and tested a helicopter based on da Vinci’s drawings as part of a design competition.
Ultimate team member Austin Pretecreated Drone, called Crimson Spin, realizing the idea of the master of the Renaissance.
Prete and his colleagues were skeptical at first, but their attitude changed when a computer simulation and then a 3D printed model showed promising results.
Renaissance building materials – wood, natural fabrics and leather – are too dense and heavy for aircraft, but modern designers have access to materials such as aluminum, plastic, as well as electric motors, batteries and computer control systems that made possible the design of air screw.
https://youtu.be/fv6YrIPI5_E
Preta managed to create a device whose four corkscrew-shaped wings are powered by batteries and electric motors, and not manually, as suggested by da Vinci. By changing the rotation speed of the propellers, the drone can tilt and turn.
The da Vinci-inspired drone is able to take off and move in the air, while its unusual propellers generate an uncharacteristic noise for drones, more like the sound of a working drill.
The researchers note that such a device is unlikely to be able to deliver parcels from Amazon or shoot at high altitudes in the near future.
The main thing is that the da Vinci mechanism works, and in the future, based on his ideas, it is possible to create a device large enough to transport a person.
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