What Leonardo da Vinci water-lifting device used a continuous helical screw?

Leonardo da Vinci studied and designed versions of Archimedes’ screw, a water-lifting device using a continuous helical screw.

A rotating spiral inside a tube or trough carries water upward as the screw turns. Leonardo drew screw-based hydraulic machines while investigating canals, pumps, and methods of moving water. The mechanism could be powered by people, animals, or other mechanical arrangements, depending on the scale and setting.

The device was not Leonardo’s original invention. It is traditionally associated with Archimedes, who lived in the third century BCE, although the historical development of the mechanism is debated. Leonardo’s importance lies in his detailed Renaissance studies and adaptations of hydraulic technology. This water screw is also different from his aerial screw: the water-lifting version transports liquid, while the aerial design was a flight concept.