Massive mechanical animals at Les Machines de l’Ile

September 2013 News

Les Machines de l’Ile is an unprecedented artistic project. Born out of the imagination of two artists, it is a blend of the imaginary world of Jules Verne and the mechanical universe of Leonardo da Vinci. Previously a shipping yard, Les Machines de L’lle was conceived to attract tourism into a dilapidated area of the Nantes dockyard, the birthplace of Jules Verne.

The majestic 12 metre high mechanical elephant carries fifty passengers on board and walks at speeds up to 3 km/hr. Propelled by a 450 horse power motor, 60 cylinders, 2000 litres of oil and a complex system of jacks, pulleys and gears, up to 600 lpm of hydraulic fluid is pumped via two 130 cc variable-displacement axial piston pumps. Hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders create the lifelike motion of the star attraction, with most of the action controlled by proportional hydraulic valves with integrated electronics and fault monitoring control. For more information visit http://tinyurl.com/m4owarp

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