Anatomy of machines

Leonardo’s investigation of machine elements reveals his extraordinary mechanical and engineering expertise. His focus was on mechanisms and gears such as the worm screw, the toothed wheel, the spool, the pulley, and springs, which, when assembled in various ways, could give rise to an almost infinite series of more or less complex machines.

The system of breaking down machines into individual gears for better analysis is also referred to as the “anatomy of machines,” due to its close analogy with the method Leonardo adopted for studying the human body. Leonardo intended to dedicate an entire treatise to machine elements, as emerges from the Madrid Codex I, to analytically highlight the characteristics, the different possible applications, and the performance potential of the individual mechanisms.

In the section dedicated to digital reconstructions, these are paired with the wooden models on display in a comparison between real and virtual, which allows visitors to fully imagine and understand the functioning of the machines. An immersive application using the Oculus virtual reality headset enables visitors to go beyond the real visit experience to “touch,” operate, and even disassemble four gears designed by Leonardo.