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Ivan Petrovich Kulibin (April 21, 1735 – August 11, 1818) was a Russianmechanic andinventor. He was born inNizhny Novgorod in the family of a trader. From childhood, Kulibin displayed an interest in constructingmechanical tools. Soon,clock mechanisms became a special interest of his. His realizations as well as his prolific imagination inspired the work of many.
During 1764-1767 he built anegg-shaped clock, containing a complex automatic mechanism. In 1769 Kulibin gave this clock toCatherine II, who assigned Kulibin to be in charge of the mechanical workshop in theAcademy of Sciences ofSaint Petersburg (established in 1724). There, Kulibin built a “planetary” pocket-clock, which showed not only the current time, but also the month, day of the week, the season and the currentmoon phase. Kulibin also designed projects for tower clocks, miniature "clock-in-a-ring" types and others. He also worked on new ways to facet glass for use inmicroscopes,telescopes and other optical instruments.
During the 1770s, he designed a wooden one-arch bridge over theNeva river with a span of 298 metres (instead of the typically used 50–60 metre spans), offering to use an original girder with a cross grate. In 1776 a model 1/10 the natural size of this bridge was tested by a special commission of academics. Kulibin's project was praised byLeonhard Euler andDaniel Bernoulli, but was never realized. After 1780 Kulibin worked on possibilities for a metallic bridge, but these projects were also rejected by the government. Altogether Kulibin designed three projects for wooden and three projects for metallic bridges.
In 1779 he built a lantern that could emit a powerful light using a weak light source. This invention was used industrially for lighting workshops, lighthouses, ships, etc. In 1791 Kulibin constructed a push-cycle cart, in which he used aflywheel, abrake, agearbox and roller bearing. The cart was operated by a man pressing pedals.[1][2][3][4][5] In the same year, he also designed "mechanical legs", aprosthetic device, which was later used by a French entrepreneur. In 1793 Kulibin constructed anelevator that lifted a cabin using screw mechanisms. In 1794 he created an opticaltelegraph for transmitting signals over distance. He assembled the famousPeacock Clock created byJames Cox and purchased byCatherine the Great, the only large 18th century automaton that has come down to us in its authentic configuration without any change or modification.
In 1801 Kulibin was fired from the academy and returned toNizhny Novgorod, where he designed a method of sailing upstream and built a ship which he had started to design back in 1782. Tests indicated that such ships were indeed feasible, but they were never used. During the same time, Kulibin had projects on usingsteam engines to move cargo ships, on creatingsaltmining machines, different kinds ofmills,pianos and other projects. Kulibin died in 1818 after spending his last years in poverty.
TheInternational Astronomical Union'sMinor Planet Center has named anasteroid in Kulibin's honor:5809 Kulibin. The asteroid was discovered on September 4, 1987 byL. V. Zhuravleva atNauchnyj.[6]
On May 20, 2020, aspecial economic zone of industrial and production type "Kulibin" was established in Russia (Nizhny Novgorod region), named after Kulibin.
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