Pic.9-28 Exit from Baikal/Izhmash hall
Mikhail Kalashnikov will go down in history as the creator of the world's most famous rifle, the AK-47. Now he'd like his name to be known for something else besides. He has said, quite poignantly, that he wished he had invented a lawnmower instead - and you can see it as a swords-into-ploughshares thing. In fact, The Kalashnikov lawnmower is the reality - you've seen the picture.
What else ? Upon request from a friend, Kalashnikov once authored few gadgets for surgeons - namely, a blade clamp for scalpel, cranes for gum treatment and steel buckle used to heal fractures. As he was recently told, these gadgets and their clones are still in use. Of course these are not a match for AK-47s but anyway...
Pic.9-29 Exit from the central hall
There is yet another Kalashnikov gun coming - a special kind of gun. Izhmash engineers led by Kalashnikov came up with portable impulse fire extinguisher based on AK-47. People who saw the action reported what the result was fascinating - it took it very few shots to extinguish a wild fire. The device was featured on "Rescue means. Nature, man-caused and fire security of Russia" exhibition in Moscow and Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations revealed much interest in it.
At his 85 Mikhail Kalashnikov is brimming with new ideas. What's next?
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