Leonardo da Vinci designed an automatic loom to automate parts of textile weaving.
Leonardo’s textile-machine studies included mechanisms intended to coordinate thread handling and weaving operations. A loom interlaces lengthwise warp threads with crosswise weft threads to make fabric. By using cams, gears, and timed movements, an automated design could reduce the amount of repetitive manual work required from the operator.
Leonardo did not invent weaving or the basic loom. Textile looms had existed for thousands of years, and powered improvements continued long after his notebooks. His contribution was a set of mechanical proposals that applied Renaissance engineering ideas to textile production.
The drawings are inventions on paper rather than evidence of a surviving Leonardo-built factory machine. They are valuable because they show his interest in automation, coordinated motion, and the practical mechanics of manufacturing.