LEGO Rebuilds Ancient Greek Computer

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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The question has often been asked if there is anything that LEGOs can’t do. The simple answer is obviously not. Designer Andrew Carol recently rebuilt a working model of the ancient Greek computer called the Antikythera mechanism, created over 2000 years ago. Carol achieved this feat by using LEGO Technic parts, normally used to build working vehicles and construction equipment. This guy is good….and obviously has a lot of time on his hands. :D
 
Fucking Epic! Also, did anyone else get a wave of nostalgia with the SNES Super Metroid-like music?
 
thats crazy..mad props to that gentleman and the people who built the original 2000yrs ago
 
It has been said that the Ancient Greeks were on the verge of an industrial revolution, Imagine where We'd be If they had gone down that path, they are what SciFi terms the Ancients and as such their truly awesome indeed, to think they could do this and steam power too, And It's a bit humbling too. :D
 
Wow, This is awesome.

That guy clearly has a lot of time to spend on legos :)
 
That old multi function computer should prove that man has been here alot longer than the offcial story. Remember that they had batteries and where electroplating way back then.

Also who are the people that lived in the USA on the east coast, you can Google the area and see they had a layout that matches our own, and we even use some of the old planning still. Just look at the coast of New Jersey near Channel Cove you can still see the writing cut into the land up and down the coast all the way to the great lakes.
 
The music made that 10 times more awesome than awesome.

I need to find my old legos...
 
I really, really, really, really REALLY want to build one of these. I just need to find my old legos! :D
 
Not to piss on the parade or be a debby downer but can someone explain to me why that is a computer and not a clock?

Gears turning in a predictable manner with no logic, doesn't really scream computer to me.

good for the greeks, it's an accomplishment, but is it really a computer? I mean could it play crysis?
 
@stealth123:

Given enough gears to crunch logic, such as in the billions, we can build a differential gear computer that will play crisis. problem is to work out the kind of output that will have you see the dial computer as you frag.
 
Reimu said:
@stealth123:

Given enough gears to crunch logic, such as in the billions, we can build a differential gear computer that will play crisis. problem is to work out the kind of output that will have you see the dial computer as you frag.
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stealth might want to find out what a computer is before trying to denounce the machine :cool:
 
I kind of agree with stealthy123

Seems more like a very accurate time keeper.

I mean if you think about Turing's model for a computer, it had to have memory of states, inputs and outputs as well as a state transition table.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_machine

I'm just not sure this qualifies as a computer...
 
Almost anything can be called a computer through predictable gearing.
My truck's drivetrain could be configured to foretell known events.
Still fascinating nonetheless.
 
This is no different than the little dial on some watches/clocks that show the phases of the moon, simply on a more complex scale.

Now that being said.. this is AMAZING!!!. Both in the fact that the original was dated around the height of the Roman empire (which Greece was a part of then) and that this guy was able to recreate it out of legos.
 
prometheum said:
wonder how they got the gear ratios correct with just legos...
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Thats the easiest thing about it. Put enough Legos together to get the math right. They make legos gears of about every size so if its critical, they probably have it already.

As for those saying it's "Not a computer"
Fuck you very much for taking away the awsome that is over 2,000 years old.and the awsomeness that someone did it out of Legos.

Computer:" A computer is a programmable machine that receives input, stores and manipulates data, and provides output in a useful format."

A watch is a computer as is a toaster if you want to get technical.
The Antikythera mechanism probably had more computing power than all the computers at NASA on the Appolo moon missions. It's likely more useful than 99% of the apps for your damn iPad and given it's 2 eons older and was possibly made by Zeus, I'd keep your Debbie Downer comments to yourself unless you want struck by lightning.
 
BravO))) said:
I am still debating if a grown man should play with lego's.
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The obvious answer is: Absolutely!

My girlfriend bought Creationary for me as a birthday gift. We haven't had an opportunity to play it yet, but it's going with us over the holidays for family time.

Also, I might have to go find some legos next time I'm out shopping.....
 
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griff30 said:
Thats the easiest thing about it. Put enough Legos together to get the math right. They make legos gears of about every size so if its critical, they probably have it already.

As for those saying it's "Not a computer"
Fuck you very much for taking away the awesome that is over 2,000 years old.and the awesomeness that someone did it out of Legos.

Computer:" A computer is a programmable machine that receives input, stores and manipulates data, and provides output in a useful format."

A watch is a computer as is a toaster if you want to get technical.
The Antikythera mechanism probably had more computing power than all the computers at NASA on the Apollo moon missions. It's likely more useful than 99% of the apps for your damn iPad and given it's 2 eons older and was possibly made by Zeus, I'd keep your Debbie Downer comments to yourself unless you want struck by lightning.
Click to expand...
Ok I've corrected Your spelling, Next the Apollo program used 4 bit electronic computers. :)
 
King Icewind said:
The music made that 10 times more awesome than awesome.
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yeah, no kidding, if this was just some iphone cam in some dude's bedroom, with a loud whirling fan and barely audible voice-over, I'm sure it'd be forgotten much quicker
 
Yeah its a computer. You guys have to keep it in perspective and remember this was made 1500 years before Columbus, 1000 years before William of Normandy conquered England, and 800 years before Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

Not impressive enough? Who was around those days? Julius Caesar. Oh yeah, Jesus too....
 
They are saying ~100BCE, puts it Republic of Rome, not long after Greece came under Roman rule. I'd say they were onto something.
 
Ultima99 said:
Yeah its a computer. You guys have to keep it in perspective and remember this was made 1500 years before Columbus, 1000 years before William of Normandy conquered England, and 800 years before Charlemagne was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

Not impressive enough? Who was around those days? Julius Caesar. Oh yeah, Jesus too....
Click to expand...

It's not a computer if it doesn't have crossfire with 9 ips panels for eyefinity along with 10tb of SSD...

you're so not [H]ard.
 
no "can it run crysis" comments? Looks like we're maturing as a society... thanks LEGO
 
prometheum said:
how could you be a princess if you were genderless?
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I'm an alien! duh! we don't have genders because we reproduce asexually! i'm second in line for the throne, so i'm a prince/princess! but, because i'm more femenine and prefer to wear dresses moar than trousers i'm a princess! bwahaha
 
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