Marked by an insatiable thirst for knowledge and a limitless curiosity that would lead him to bold explorations in fields as diverse as art, science, engineering, and philosophy, Leonardo da Vinci continues to fascinate the world with his genius:
It was in 1452 in the town of Vinci, Italy, 40 kilometers west of Florence, that Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, better known as Leonardo Da Vinci, was born. An illegitimate son of Ser Piero da Vinci, a local notary, and a woman named Caterina. Leonardo was mainly raised by his father and stepfather, Antonio, after Caterina married another man.
📚 A vision without limit:
From a young age, little Leonardo showed signs of a curious and creative mind. He spent a lot of time exploring nature, observing plants, animals, and natural phenomena with a keen sense of curiosity.
It was notably by observing the wingbeats of birds that Leonardo Da Vinci conceived a prototype of a flying machine.
🚀 The conception:
The ornithopter was equipped with articulated wings that mimicked the movement of birds in flight. Although Leonardo never built a working model of his ornithopter, his detailed drawings and diagrams influenced subsequent designs of flapping-wing aircraft.
And he didn’t stop there as he conceived several types of bridges, including arch bridges and suspension bridges. His ingenious concepts demonstrated his advanced understanding of the principles of structural engineering.
My opinion?
“In wanting to discover the secrets of the universe, Da Vinci was the precursor of our modern world but also perhaps, a source of inspiration towards biomimicry.
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