What device did Leonardo da Vinci design to create a continuous stream of water?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a centrifugal pump to create a continuous stream of water.

A centrifugal pump moves liquid by rotating an impeller. The spinning motion pushes water outward, producing flow through an outlet. Leonardo’s notebooks include pump designs that use rotating components and mechanical power to raise or move water for engineering projects.

The invention belongs to a long history of water-lifting technology. Archimedes’ screw, bucket systems, piston pumps, and water wheels all served related purposes, but they use different mechanisms. A centrifugal pump depends on rotational motion and centrifugal action rather than a helical screw or reciprocating piston.

Leonardo did not invent every type of pump, and some designs attributed to him developed earlier ideas. His importance lies in analyzing mechanisms carefully and combining them into workable engineering proposals. Modern centrifugal pumps are common in water supplies, heating systems, irrigation, and industry.