The Mechanical Horse

In the second half of the 19th century, the project of a passionate biologist was to create a mechanical horse which would use the new technologies of that pre-industrial era. A piston engine, located on the centre of the horse back, is powered by a distilled liquid contained in a water-cooled barrel fixed on the horse withers, while 6 condensers, arranged beside the piston, provide electricity to the system. His wife, a mechanical engineer, conceived the metallic frame and the articulation of the legs thanks to her passion for mathematics and geometry. From a platform mounted at the extremity of the test bench, the test pilot can access the cockpit in the horse head thanks to the lowerable neck. A small scale prototype of the horse can be seen on a wooden desk. This 780-part model features a functional mechanism that can be activated by a manual crank connected to a cascade of pinions to appreciate the complex cinematics of the legs.


You must agree to the LEGO Ideas Terms of Service in order to participate in this Challenge. You can also confirm your submission is between 50 and 1,000 elements:

I agree to the LEGO Ideas Terms of Service, I can confirm/prove my submission is made up of between 50 and 1,000 elements.

#lego technic
#horse
#technology
#stem
#vintage
#engineering
#animal
#steam
#science
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