The compass vehicle, the earlier and more primitive form of the compass, yet which has a delicate combination of mechanical devices (like wheels, blocks, various gears, and ropes), is a mechanical device that always point in the southern direction (via a little wooden man on top) when in operation.

While according to legend, the compass vehicle was first invented by a minister of Emperor Huangdi five thousand years ago, when the emperor's troops were trapped by dense frog, historical records show that Ma Jun in the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280) was the first man to make a compass vehicle.

Later, a history book (one of the earliest and most precious documents in engineering science) in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) recorded the structure and technical standard of the compass vehicle made by Yan Su and Wu Deren at the time.

Based on historical records, the structure of the compass vehicle invented by Yan Su had two wheels and seven gears of different sizes. However, Yan's vehicle could not work when the cart took a big turn. Therefore, later, his follower Wu Deren used ropes to improve the design, thus making the vehicle work better.

The famous scientist Joseph Needham (1900-1995) termed the compass vehicle as the first "homoeostatic (equilibrium-inducing) machine" for human beings after he scrutinized the vehicle.

Author: Jeff

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