Fascinated by nature's solutions to complicated mechanical problems, such as birds' flight, da Vinci envisioned contraptions along the lines of the bat's skeleton.
But it was a rudimentary contraption and it wasn't until 1921 in Berkeley, California, when the official polygraph machine for lie detecting was invented.
You can think of it like this: inside our cells, there's different contraptions building things, connecting circuits, doing all the things they need to make life happen.
The colored-paper lanterns which Mrs. Elsing and Fanny had made and painted for the occasion held a special interest for him, as he had never seen " sech contraptions" before.