South-pointing chariot
Carro que señala el sur
- Date
- c. 255 CE · confidence medium
- Place
- Luoyang, Henan, China
- Credited to
- Ma Jun (Cao Wei)
- People
- 👤 Ma Jun200–265
- Field
- Movement
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A chariot with a figure that always points in the same direction thanks to a gear train that compensates for the wheels' turns. If it used a differential, it would be the earliest known one.
It did not use magnetism. Reconstructions vary: some use a differential and others clutches; legends trace it back to the Yellow Emperor.
What it led to
- use of the differential gear in mechanisms
- symbol of power in imperial processions