LabVIEW and FieldPoint Monitor Leonardo da Vinci Manuscript

Author(s):
Joe Shuster - Seattle Art Museum

Industry:
Pulp/Paper

Products:
Compact FieldPoint, LabVIEW, FieldPoint,

The Challenge:
Monitoring a rare da Vinci manuscript at a special exhibit in the Seattle Art Museum.

The Solution:
Using National Instruments LabVIEW software and FieldPoint hardware to create a monitoring system for these documents.

Leonardo da Vinci, famed artist and innovator, might be intrigued if he realized his ideas, captured on medieval parchment, are protected today by a high-tech solution of the late twentieth century. Using a computer-based system, we at the Seattle Art Museum monitored the integrity of a priceless Leonardo da Vinci manuscript.

The manuscript, owned by Bill Gates of Microsoft, was the centerpiece of a special exhibit hosted by the museum Oct 23, 1997 to Jan 4, 1998. National Instruments supported the museum by providing a monitoring system consisting of LabVIEW software and FieldPoint hardware. The system, which runs off a Pentium PC, monitors the temperature and humidity of the six kiosks containing the manuscript pages. Each of the kiosks has a massive inner chamber with the specially monitored environment to protect the manuscript. Having this system prevents the rare text from both molding and deformation.

Our quest at the Seattle Art Museum for a modern monitoring approach started late last summer. We looked at a number of solutions that were significantly more expensive - by using a LabVIEW-based data acquisition system, we save money and also have compatibility for the future.

About the System
The six separate kiosks each contain sensors for temperature and humidity; these sensors provide 4-20 mA output signals, which are digitized by the National Instruments FieldPoint remote I/O modules. LabVIEW software controls the system from a desktop Pentium PC connected to the FieldPoint modules via a simple 4-wire RS-485 network.

We were impressed with its ease of installation - the whole process took only a few hours.
In addition to monitoring the environmental parameters of the Leonardo da Vinci documents, the monitoring computer attaches to a phone link so that LabVIEW can automatically dial a museum staff member’s pager number should an "out-of-range" parameter occur. Another monitoring capability is that the computer occupies a node on the museum’s local area network, so museum staff can remotely check on manuscript conditions as well as generate reports.

Gail Joice, Senior Deputy Director at the Seattle Art Museum, said that "This system gives us a great opportunity to use a high-tech solution, which is particularly appropriate considering Leonardo’s own interest in innovation. Overall, we were very pleased with the quick response from National Instruments."

Accuracy and Protection
The computer monitor in the carefully hidden "control room" displays the desired flat lines, indicating that the temperature and humidity levels are steady and not spiking. We see several benefits in our computer-based approach. Overall, this system offers greater accuracy in centralized data tracking. Another convenient benefit is the real-time tracking it offers. Finally, its expandability is a great advantage for our future museum exhibits.

About the Codex
The centerpiece manuscript, called the Codex Leicester, was written circa 1508- 1510.It consists of 18 loose, double sheets of illustrations that encompass water, light, gravity, and fossils - all in Leonardo’s trademark mirror script. The codex is presented here as a product of Leonardo’s life-long attempt to understand the world by studying its physical manifestations, an approach that fueled both this artistic and scientific work. Leonardo himself clearly integrated his scientific observations with his works of art; for example, his reflections in the codex on why the sky is blue are demonstrated in his use of atmospheric perspective in painting. He also connected the flow patterns of water with the way he painted and drew human hair.

About the Exhibit
The exhibition has two principal themes: the fusion of art and science in Leonardo’s work and his enduring inspiration for later artists, who responded both to his many artistic innovations and to the unprecedented esteem given him by his contemporaries at a time when painters were considered mere craftsmen.
Thus far, the exhibit has appeared in Italy, France, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Along with the Codex Leicester, the exhibit features several other works from Leonardo as well as works from his contemporaries. The Seattle Art Museum received record attendance from this exhibit.

For more information, contact:

 Joe Shuster

Seattle Art Museum

Tel: (206) 654-3215

E-mail: joshu@cyperspace.com

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