Students Use Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE Platform to Digitally Develop the Antikythera Mechanism

Dassault Systèmes is enabling the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece to further explore and develop the world’s oldest analog computer, the Antikythera Mechanism.  Students in the university’s Department of Mechanical Engineering will use the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to digitally reconstruct the machine, and gain insight and skills into the design and development of a high-performance mechanism.

The Antikythera Mechanism, whose historical significance for technology and science can be compared to that of the Acropolis for architecture and arts, was built during the second century B.C. and found in poor condition in 1900 at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of the small Greek island of Antikythera.  Its construction, function and usage remained a mystery until recent research discovered that this extremely advanced mechanism could accurately calculate and predict astronomical events such as the position of the sun, the phases of the moon, lunar and solar eclipses, and the paths of planets.

Using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform on the cloud, students in the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Manufacturing Engineering will digitally redesign the Antikythera Mechanism and further develop its function and operation.  This includes integrating an additional gear system with motion and the pointer stars of five planets into a digital twin of the machine, creating the necessary data for manufacturing the mechanism parts, and simulating their real-world behavior.

In this virtual learning environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki students will be able to nurture the knowledge and know-how that employers seek in their workforce.  The 3DEXPERIENCE platform lets professors and students create products, manage projects, and engage in practical training with an interdisciplinary, real-world approach.  Students can master the same digital design, manufacturing, simulation and collaborative innovation applications that are used by industrial companies worldwide to design, develop and deliver new experiences to their customers.

For more information on Dassault Systèmes in academia: https://academy.3ds.com/en