Detroit, Mich., September 18, 2025 – The Michigan Science Center (Mi-Sci) is excited to announce the arrival of a new traveling exhibit, Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion, opening on October 11, 2025. This fascinating exhibit offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore and play with 40 interactive machines imagined by Leonardo da Vinci.
“Da Vinci, a painter, sculptor, musician, engineer, and anatomist, continues to inspire generations of innovators in art, science, and engineering,” said Dr. Christian Greer, President & CEO of the Michigan Science Center. “This isn’t just an exhibition; it’s truly an experience. Guests get to step into a full-scale mechanical playground featuring 40 of his inventions and learn how he imagined future technology by cranking gears, pulling levers, and setting his ideas in motion.”
Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion showcases an extraordinary collection of full-scale, working machines for children and families to explore, including flying machines, water pumps, helicopters, parachutes, even a working robot and armored tank— all imagined more than 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci. Access is included within Mi-Sci general admission.
Working from da Vinci’s notebooks, scientists and master artisans in Florence, Italy, built each creation using materials and techniques that would have been available during the Renaissance.
The exhibition is organized based on da Vinci’s study of the elements of nature:
- Earth: Operate cranes, presses, and command his humanoid robot.
- Water: Spin the Archimedes’ screw and test water floats.
- Air: Explore flying machines, from gliders to parachutes.
- Fire: Step inside a full-sized armored tank that can fit eight people.
There will also be many da Vinci-themed activities throughout the museum:
- Crank the Archimedes’ screw, then compare it to our version at the water table in Kids Town!
- Turn the gears on da Vinci’s machine for lifting pillars, then use gears in your own constructions in PlayLab.
- Lift and swing objects with da Vinci’s revolving crane, then test your strength lifting 1,000 pounds with the giant lever in our Motion Gallery.
- In our STEM Playground, explore how engineers design by cranking the pedals on da Vinci’s bicycle and using da Vinci’s flying machine designs to create paper airplane prototypes.
The exhibit will be open from October 11, 2025, through January 2026. Members will receive a sneak preview on the morning of Saturday, October 11th at 1 p.m. Tickets are available online or at the Mi-Sci box office. Don’t miss the chance to experience da Vinci’s genius through his machines firsthand!
The Michigan Science Center’s core mission is to advance STEM learning (science, technology, engineering, and math) across all ages and disciplines through discovery, innovation, and interactive education. As a STEM hub, Mi-Sci focuses on developing and introducing expanded education programs, exhibits, and initiatives to empower and enrich our children and community.
Mi-Sci’s goal is to be a pioneering force for the future of STEM education in Detroit and a dynamic destination in Michigan, making itself accessible, engaging, and transformative for all while fostering a vibrant, culturally relevant, community STEM hub where learning is deeply personal, profoundly social, and inherently joyful.
As a Smithsonian affiliate, Mi-Sci inspires nearly 250,000 curious minds of all ages every year in Detroit and across Michigan. Through our Traveling Science Program and distance learning initiative, ECHO, Mi-Sci reaches beyond our Detroit-based facility across Michigan. With the Toyota Engineering 4D Theater, live science demonstrations, lab activities, and 220+ interactive exhibits, there are dozens of ways to customize your Mi-Sci visit. The Michigan Science Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and does not receive funding from Detroit or the state of Michigan. For more information, please call 313.577.8400 or visit the website, Mi-Sci.org.