Click here to watch Prof Breedveld's presentation back.

Dear members of the KIVI Department of History of Engineering and of Histechnica,

After a long time, it is again possible to meet physically in our familiar surroundings. The boards of the KIVIHistory of Technology Section and the Histechnica Association are therefore delighted to invite you to attend a presentation to be given by Prof P. Breedveld entitled: "Mechanical calculators" on Saturday 23 October.

Programme

10.30 hrs: Walk-in with coffee and tea

11:00: Welcome and introduction

11.05:00: Lecture by Prof P. Breedveld

11:50 hrs: Break

12:15: Continuation of lecture and concluding discussion

12:45: End of meeting.

Registration is required to attend this lecture:

- KIVI members should register via the KIVI website

- Members of Histechnica should register via the secretary hotzeboonstra@gmail.com

- Interested parties who are not members can also register through the above-mentioned channels. Please note that there will be a fee of Eur 5.00

The Science Centre requires a Corona check. You must be able to show a valid QR code for this purpose.

It is also possible to participate via livestream, you can indicate this when registering. You will receive the link for this upon registration.

Summary of the lecture

In addition to designing smart surgical instruments in his BITE group at TU Delft (www.bitegroup.nl), Prof Paul Breedveld is, in his spare time, an enthusiastic collector and restorer of (electro-)mechanical calculators, predating the pocket japanner. Mechanical calculators are fascinating devices containing the most ingenious and complex mechanisms ever devised by mankind.

In his presentation, Paul Breedveld will discuss the extraordinary historical background and operation of these machines. In doing so, he will show the most advanced mechanical calculators ever built - complex assemblies of many thousands of mechanical parts - as well as the smallest mechanical pocket calculator - a marvel of miniaturisation. He will also tell how the mechanical calculator came to an abrupt end with the introduction of the first electronic pocket calculator, and how this ancient technique is currently coming to a revival in the development of new types of surgical instruments.

After his talk, he will demonstrate several mechanical calculators live.

Information about the speaker

Paul Breedveld studied Mechanical Engineering at TU Delft where he obtained his MSc and PhD degrees in 1991 and 1996, both with honours. Extending his experience in space robotics to the medical field, he continued his research with the design of innovative medical devices inspired by smart biological solutions, sponsored by grants from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.

His research was rewarded in 2012 with a prestigious Dutch VICI grant on the development of advanced snake-like instrumentation for endo-nasal skull base surgery, and in 2013 with an Antoni van Leeuwenhoek distinguished professorship at TU Delft. In 2014 he was one of the founders of the the PainLess Foundation: a Dutch initiative to find solutions for chronic and incurable pain, and in 2019 he became one of the chairs of Dutch Soft Robotics, a Dutch national research programme on soft robotic systems. Being principal investigator in a number of national and EU research programmes, Breedveld is currently chair of the section Minimally Invasive Surgery & Bio-Inspired Technology at TU Delft and director of the Graduate School of the faculty 3mE.

Upcoming activities

- saturday 13 November 2021 at 11:00 lecture G.W. de Graaf: "The Indian Mining Railways" in the Science Centre Delft

- thursday 16 December 2021 at 19:00 lecture Prof P.G. Steeneken: "Dynamics at the nanoscale" in the KIVI building, Prinsessegracht 23, 2514 AP The Hague. Opportunity to have a sandwich from 18:00.

Documents