Online Exhibits > Leonardo and the Engineers of the Renaissance > General Index

Living energy sources

In the technical world of Taccola and Francesco, the basic energy sources are humans and animals.

Human power is used for those operations that require continuous variations in velocity, non-programmable stops, and high precision.

Francesco designed gigantic carriages fitted with unusually complex systems for transmitting motion. These vehicles, he imagined, could be operated by human power. The carriages were intended to create special effects in court festivities and ceremonies. They could also be used to bring soldiers safely up to the foot of enemy walls.

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