FPGA

[Kelsay, Brian - Kansas City, MO]

 DaVinci made at least three (that I recall from a book or program)
clockwork entertainment devices for the king or ruling person.  They
were run by spring-stored energy like a wind-up toy.  They would roll
out a certain distance, play music or do something entertaining and then
return to point of origin.  Not really a robot, more automaton or
wind-up mannequin.  The gears and springs and some drawings have been
figured out to prove this apparently.  DaVinci built this stuff to wow
the ruler so they would keep paying him regularly to make cool stuff, in
a nutshell.   Many of his designs were never built or did not withstand
time and weather.

I imagine the Medicis would think it cool if snacks came out on a moving
table, so would many people today.  I don't doubt that he came up with
many more things we will never know about.


-----Original Message-----
From:  David Nicol
Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2007 1:07 AM

<snip>

The link to the page on the model of the base-3 nineteenth century
adding machine was certainly interesting.  I saw a bit on television
once about a group that had built a model of a clockwork table that
DaVinci had designed, which could be programmed to tote stuff from room
to room, i think by placing pegs in a wheel which turned much more
slowly than the drive wheels, to steer. (the steering was done by the
pegs, or absence of pegs, IIRC.)

It's fun to imagine that several were built, and Medicis of all stripes
oohed and aahed as snacks appeared carried not by a live servant but on
a moving table.