The legendary figure of the Italian Renaissance has been given a new lease on life as part of an Osaka University project.
The robotic version of da Vinci (1452-1519) is being developed by a team led by Minoru Asada, a professor of robotics at the university.
The exterior is almost complete. The head can move and the face change expressions, all remotely controlled by a computer.
Next the project team will give da Vinci the power of speech. The robot will speak by manipulating the voice of its computer operator, transmitting the voice into the automaton and moving its lips.
The da Vinci machine will also be programmed to introduce itself in Italian.
The very life-like robot will be exhibited at the National Museum of Science and Technology in
Milan in September.
It is also scheduled to be displayed at the Grand Front Osaka commercial complex in Osaka's Kita
Ward in December.