What Leonardo da Vinci invention was a mechanical device for weaving patterned fabric?

Leonardo da Vinci designed an automatic loom to mechanize parts of the weaving process.

Leonardo’s textile-machine sketches show his interest in automating repetitive work. A loom holds lengthwise warp threads while a crosswise weft thread is passed through them. His proposed mechanisms used cams, gears, and coordinated moving parts to reduce the labor required to move threads and insert the shuttle.

The design belongs to a long history of loom development rather than representing the first loom ever made. Ancient and medieval weavers already used many kinds of looms, and later industrial inventions would mechanize textile production on a much larger scale. Leonardo’s contribution was his attempt to coordinate several operations mechanically in a compact machine.

The surviving drawings do not establish that Leonardo built a fully working automatic loom. They do, however, document his systematic approach to manufacturing and his interest in using mechanical timing to replace repetitive human actions.