If you’re planning to visit the western coast of France anytime soon, be sure to keep an eye out for a 40-foot-tall mechanical elephant. Perhaps taking inspiration from steampunk fiction and Jules Verne, French engineers, artists, and craftspeople have cobbled together a movable mammoth using 45 tons worth of reclaimed wood and steel.
The Great Elephant is part of the Machines of the Isle of Nantes project, and exhibit of fantastical creations, which aims to inspire the imaginations of citizens and tourists alike. And it’s not just for decoration, either: this robust creature can carry up to 49 passengers on a 45-minute walk around the city of Nantes.
Last year software engineers developed new ways for animators to mimic the movement of swaying trees, and this year another programmer has created a brilliant new physics engine.
The software, called Lagoa Multiphysics 1.0, was created by Thiago Costa, a programmer and technical director for Ubisoft games. Watch as it realistically simulates falling dirt, crumpling silks, and other animated marvels in the eye-popping demo above.
A flaming lotus sculpture from Maker Faire 2009 (jurvetson/Flickr)
Whether you have a knack for inventing things or just want to see some really cool stuff people have made, you should definitely check out Maker Faire in San Mateo, CA this weekend (May 22-23, 2010).
Maker Faire is a two-day extravaganza that features a diverse collection of projects from garage inventors and tinkerers across the nation.
Going to Las Vegassoon? Be sure to catch this stunning attraction, which also happens to be an engineering marvel.
The Fountains of Bellagiois a water performance choreographed to light and music that takes place in front of the Bellagio hotel and casino. The fountains are set in a manmade lake and incorporate a network of pipes with more than 1,200 nozzles that synchronize with over 4,500 lights.
