A tribometer is an early friction-measuring instrument attributed to Leonardo da Vinci.
Leonardo studied friction while examining machines, axles, ropes, and moving surfaces. His notes describe experiments involving blocks, weights, and inclined arrangements that could compare the resistance encountered by different materials. These investigations helped him recognize that friction depends on the surfaces and the load pressing them together.
The word tribometer comes from the study of friction and wear. Leonardo’s apparatus was not a modern electronic laboratory instrument, but it represented a systematic attempt to measure a force that engineers had previously treated mostly through experience. His work anticipated later research into friction and lubrication.
The attribution requires care because Leonardo did not publish a standardized instrument under the modern name. Historians identify tribometer-like experimental apparatus in his notebooks. The device should not be confused with a barometer, which measures air pressure, or an odometer, which measures distance traveled.