Leonardo da Vinci Exhibit Opens in Philly

An interactive exhibit featuring life-size models of Leonardo da Vinci’s 500-year-old inventions and machines is opening in Philadelphia.

Though he’s best known for his masterpiece “Mona Lisa,” da Vinci also filled his personal notebooks with detailed designs for futuristic flying machines, robots, weapons and mechanical devices.

Highlights of the “Leonardo da Vinci’s Workshop” exhibit at The Franklin Institute include the “Great Kite” flying machine, a working prototype of his “Self-Propelled Cart,” and physical models of his mechanical bat and lion drawings. They've been made using materials and techniques from the 15th and 16th centuries.

Visitors can use touch screens to turn the artist's numerous sketches into three-dimensional models.

“Leonardo da Vinci’s Workshop” opens Saturday and runs through May 22.