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Scientists Used Simulations to Study Da Vinci’s Design and Concluded That It Can Inspire Drones with Less Energy Consumption and Noise
Leonardo da Vinci is known for his works of art, such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. But his genius also stood out in areas such as engineering, anatomy, botany, and architecture.
At the end of the 15th century, he conceptualized a curious invention: the “aerial screw.” Never practically tested by him, the project has gained new attention due to a recent study that points to its possible use in modern drone technology.
Da Vinci’s original idea was to create a flying machine. His aerial screw, designed around 1480, looked like a spiral propeller that would be powered by human force.
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The artist himself was aware that a person’s weight would be an obstacle, as the device would not be able to take off with a human on board. At the time, electric motors were still far from existing.
More than 500 years later, scientists decided to take the concept further using current technology. A group of researchers simulated the operation of the aerial screw in a virtual wind tunnel.
The digital tool allowed for the analysis of different rotation speeds and their effects on air and lift. The results surprised the researchers.
According to the study, published in the arXiv repository, the aerial screw can generate lift by rotating at a speed lower than conventional designs today.
This means it requires less energy to stay in the air. This energy efficiency could be useful in creating more economical drones.
But it wasn’t only this that caught the team’s attention. During the simulations, the researchers also noticed that the shape of the screw produces less noise than current models used in drones.
The sound generated by this type of propeller is smoother, which could be an important advantage, especially in urban environments.
Professor Rajat Mittal, a mechanical engineering expert at Johns Hopkins University, explained that the goal was to combine a historical idea with modern computing.
The intention was to reimagine da Vinci’s project as a quieter drone. He highlighted that other research has attempted to create propellers with less noise, using loop shapes, for example. But the aerial screw may be even more efficient in this regard.
Noise in drones is often caused by small air vortices colliding with conventional blades, which are flat and angular.
Loop-shaped propellers already show improvements, but the shape proposed by da Vinci might go further. The group’s idea, led by Mittal, is to advance testing to prove whether the Renaissance inventor’s design can be a practical and quiet solution.
The next step in the research is to verify whether the design can also maintain efficiency in lift, even with reduced noise.
If confirmed, the model could pave the way for a new generation of drones. The application would be especially useful in urban areas, where noise is already a serious problem.
In the United States, for instance, thousands of complaints about drone noise are registered every year by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The increasing presence of these devices in cities, used for deliveries and other tasks, has generated complaints from residents. Thus, the possibility of creating quieter drones is seen as an important advancement.
The study shows that old ideas can still inspire modern solutions. Da Vinci’s aerial screw, which never made it off the drawing board in the 15th century, may now help solve a real problem of the 21st century.
With information from Aventuras na História.
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