ARTE
BELEZA E BEM-ESTAR
ARTESANATO
CULTURA E HISTÓRIA
ENTRETENIMENTO
MEIO AMBIENTE
COMIDA E BEBIDAS
FUTURO VERDE
ENGENHARIA REVERSA
SCHOOL PROJECTS
CIÊNCIAS
ESPORTES
TECNOLOGIA
TECNOLOGIA VESTÍVEL
Building Leonardo da Vinci's Self-Propelled Cart — The First Programmable Robot
Emma

Criado por

Emma

2. julho 2026SE
10
0
0
0
0

Building Leonardo da Vinci's Self-Propelled Cart — The First Programmable Robot

Around 1478 Leonardo da Vinci designed a cart that drives itself: no ox, no push, no rider. Coiled springs store the power, wooden gears carry it to the wheels, an escapement doles it out evenly, and pegs set into a control wheel steer the cart along a route decided in advance. It is spring power, gear reduction, escapement timing and programmable control in one machine — an ancestor of both the automobile and the robot. In 2004 a museum in Florence built it to his drawings and it ran exactly as designed. This blueprint reconstructs that remarkable machine.
Avançado
30

Instruções

1

Understand the machine

Leonardo's cart carries its own power source and steers itself. Wound springs drive it, gears set the speed, an escapement keeps it steady, and pegs on a control wheel turn it left or right on cue. Often called the first robot, it was reconstructed in Florence in 2004 and ran just as he drew it.
2

Build the frame and wheels

Build a low, sturdy wooden frame carrying an axle front and rear. Cut round wheels and mount them so they turn freely, and bore the axle bearings cleanly so there is little friction to waste the spring's energy.

Materiais para este passo:

Beech LumberBeech Lumber3 peças

Ferramentas necessárias:

Hand SawHand Saw
Hand AugerHand Auger
3

Make the coiled springs

The power comes from two coiled leaf springs set in drums beneath the frame. Winding them stores energy; as they slowly unwind they turn the drive. This clockwork-style spring drive — not a falling weight — is Leonardo's key idea.

Materiais para este passo:

Leaf SpringLeaf Spring2 peças

Ferramentas necessárias:

Wooden MalletWooden Mallet
4

Cut and fit the wooden gears

Cut cogged wooden gearwheels that take the drive from the spring drums and gear it down to the road wheels, so the stored energy is delivered at a slow, steady, useful speed instead of one violent burst.

Materiais para este passo:

Wooden GearWooden Gear4 peças

Ferramentas necessárias:

GougeGouge
KnifeKnife
5

Add the escapement

Fit an escapement — the same regulating trick used in clocks — between the springs and the gears. It releases the spring's energy in small, even steps, keeping the cart's speed controlled rather than letting it bolt and stop.

Materiais para este passo:

Wooden GearWooden Gear1 peça

Ferramentas necessárias:

KnifeKnife
6

Build the programmable steering

Set removable pegs into a horizontal control wheel geared to the drive. As that wheel turns, each peg nudges the steering to a preset angle, so the cart follows a path you program in advance by where you place the pegs — turn the pegs, change the route.

Materiais para este passo:

Beech LumberBeech Lumber1 peça
Binding RopeBinding Rope5 metros

Ferramentas necessárias:

Hand AugerHand Auger
7

Wind, set down, release

Wind the springs to store energy, place the cart on the floor, and release the catch. It rolls away under its own power and steers itself left and right exactly as the pegs command, with no one touching it.
8

See why it was centuries ahead

Spring power, gear reduction, escapement regulation and programmable control together in one device — roughly 400 years before the automobile and the programmable machine. The 2004 Florence reconstruction proved these were not fantasies: Leonardo's cart genuinely works.

Materiais

4

Ferramentas necessárias

5

Materiais de Blueprints conectados

You can swap these in

Can't get one of the materials? Swap it for an equivalent — these work just as well.

CC0 Domínio Público

Este blueprint é liberado sob CC0. Você é livre para copiar, modificar, distribuir e usar este trabalho para qualquer finalidade, sem pedir permissão.

Apoie o Maker comprando produtos através do Blueprint, onde ele ganha uma Comissão Maker definida pelos vendedores, ou crie uma nova versão deste Blueprint e inclua-o como conexão no seu próprio Blueprint para compartilhar receita.

Discussão

(0)

Entrar para participar da discussão

Carregando comentários...