Leonardo da Vinci designed an ornithopter, a flying machine intended to rise through the flapping of large wings.
The word ornithopter comes from Greek roots meaning “bird” and “wing.” Leonardo studied birds closely and drew several machines inspired by their anatomy and movement. His sketches include wing structures, frames, pedals, and control arrangements intended to transfer human muscle power into flapping motion.
Leonardo’s ornithopter was never proven capable of carrying a person in sustained flight. Human muscles cannot provide the same power-to-weight performance as the flight muscles of birds, so the practical design problem was more difficult than the drawings might suggest.
An ornithopter is different from a glider, which relies on fixed wings and moving air, and from a helicopter, which uses rotating blades. Modern experimental ornithopters have flown, but Leonardo’s machines remained conceptual studies.