Apple Engineer Recreates 2000-Year-Old Computer Using Legos

Working in the comfort of his garage, Apple software engineer Andrew Carol constructed something quite remarkable: a recreation of the 2000 year-old Antikythera Mechanism made out of Legos.

Andrew Carol recreates the Antikythera Mechanism using Legos

/ Digital Science

The Antikythera Mechanism, built by the ancient Greeks around 150 BC, was recovered from a Roman shipwreck in 1901. When the device was retrieved, however, it was so corroded that nobody fully comprehended its significance.

It would take researchers using advanced imaging tools another century to realize that what they were looking at was the world's first computing device. In this case, the mechanism was used by the ancients to track celestial movements and predict lunar and solar eclipses. (The original mechanism is in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens.)

Scientific American's parent company commissioned the videographer John Pavlus to record Carol as he went about his work. Marshaling some 1,500 Lego Technic parts for the project, Carol completed the work in 30 days. You can find out more about the background of the Antikythera here as well as by reading what Carol has to say about the math that went into the project by clicking here.

In the meantime, enjoy this delightful video, a modern homage to an ancient genius.

[barbaram99]

it was built with LEGOS parts..That is what the story said here..Cool..

[marandalaw]

Great Computer,,Legos??Is this what's wrong with the computer world?

[farmerbb]

So, where can you buy the Lego kit complete with instructions ?

[wardww-2009]

A full working reproduction of this clock has already been built. This is old news and CBS obviously don't know this or they would have mentioned it.

[rf35]

Was it also done with Legos? I think that's the point here.

[AnnieDanny]

It's the first I've heard of this machine, so it's very interesting and the demonstration is remarkable: especially when they separate the layers and explain how the math calculations are done. I don't have a math-brain so I can't understand how anybody figures out complicated math like that, much less the ancients who supposedly didn't know of such advanced math. But obviously there was some genius back then who figured it out. Truly Amazing.