A prototype of a cooling machine
designed by Italian inventor Leonardo da Vinci was presented at
the National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan on
Thursday.
The machine, which records show Da Vinci invented around
1492, employs a bellows with multiple nozzles to concentrate
cold air on a pitcher and keep its contents such as drinks or
sorbets cool.
Alessandro Vezzosi, director of the Museo Ideale Leonardo
da Vinci, said the inventor used to organise banquets for
Italian noble families which would include fountain machines
involving water and snow.
"There's no reason to rule out the possibility that this
machine was also built in his laboratory," Vezzosi said.
It will be on display at the museum for the remaining
duration of the Expo 2015 world fair in Milan, which runs until
the end of October.
Visitors will be able to compare it to the ice cream
machines of Italian company Sammontana which will also be on
display in the same exhibition.
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