Leonardo´s Lost Robots

Leonardo´s Lost Robots by Rosheim, Mark. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9783540284406.

Leonardos Lost Robots reinterprets Leonardo da Vincis mechanical design work, revealing a new level of sophistication not recognized by art historians or engineers. By identifying his major technological projects, the book reinterprets Leonardos legacy of notes, showing that apparently unconnected fragments from dispersed manuscripts actually comprise cohesive designs for functioning automata. Using the rough sketches scattered throughout almost all of Leonardos notebooks, the author has reconstructed Leonardos programmable cart, which was the platform for other automata: a Robot Lion, a Robot Knight, and a hydraulically powered automaton for striking a bell. Through a readable, lively narrative, Mark Rosheim explains how he reconstructed da Vincis designs. In a foreword the world-renowned Leonardo scholar Carlo Pedretti interprets the significance of these reconstructions for our understanding of Leonardos oeuvre.