Coming this fall to Mi-Sci!
Opens October 11, 2025
Helicopters, parachutes, even a working robot — all imagined more than 500 years ago by Leonardo da Vinci. Now you can bring his ideas to life at Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion, here at the Michigan Science Center for a limited time.
This isn’t just an exhibition — it’s an experience. Step into a full-scale mechanical playground featuring 40 of his inventions. See how he imagined future technology. Then, crank gears, pull levers, and set his ideas in motion!
Da Vinci — painter, sculptor, musician, engineer, and anatomist — continues to inspire generations of innovators in art, science, and engineering.
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 result? Forty full-scale, working machines for you to explore — from flying machines and water pumps to an armored tank.
Exhibit highlights:
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 8 people.
Connect da Vinci’s ideas to exhibits throughout Mi-Sci:
- Crank the Archimedes’ screw, then compare it to our version at the water table in Kids Town!
- Examine his flying machine designs, then create paper airplane prototypes in PlayLab.
- 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.
- Crank the pedals on da Vinci’s bicycle, then explore how engineers design everything around us in our STEM Playground.
Coming soon: This exhibit is included with general admission! Purchase your ticket today and explore genius!
Leonardo da Vinci: Machines in Motion is a limited-time exhibition on view from October 11, 2025 through January 2026 at the Michigan Science Center.