Bart Bear's Blog

Here's another one of the great models of Leonardo Da Vinci's machines in the exhibition at Floriade. This is his version of a tank. Imagine this thing creeping towards your castle or your mob of soldiers. Lots of soldiers inside the tank pushing it along, lots of cannons aiming in all directions, and the whole thing protected from arrows and muskets by layers of sloping wood and leather panels. Of course the section left open on the model would be covered in the real thing. The commander rode on a platform at the top where he could see out and tell the guys which way to push and what cannons to fire. The idea is not so different from modern tanks. No doubt about it, Leonardo was way ahead of his time. You may have noticed that the model is just the right size for a small bear. Now, if I can get Dad interested we could make one of these, put radio control in it and scare the dickens out of stray cats.

Labels: Canberra, engineering, gardens