King Tut’s Supercar
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Of the six chariots found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb, one made its longest ride yet last week when it traveled outside Egypt for the first time in three millennia to the “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” exhibit in New York’s Discovery Times Square Exposition.
The chariot, which is usually on display at Luxor museum, represents the high level of engineering sophistication reached by the Egyptian chariot builders at King Tut’s time, according to Alberto Rovetta, professor in robotics engineering at the Polytechnic of Milan.
“The wheels feature a real tire, made of a flexible wood rim, which adapts to soil irregularities. Moreover, the six-spoke wheels are made from elastic wood. This absorbs uniformly the loads transmitted by soil irregularity, so that the vibrations are damped by the wheel itself like the intelligent suspensions in modern cars,” Rovetta said.
“The bearings are built exploiting the modern principle of a hard material against a soft material and by applying animal grease between the surfaces. The grease reduces friction and increases running duration,” Rovetta said.
Excerpted from an article by Rossella Lorenzi for Discovery News
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