Leonardo da Vinci sketched a dynamometer for measuring the force of a blow or pull.
A dynamometer is an instrument that measures force or mechanical power. Leonardo’s mechanical studies included devices for comparing the strength of impacts and pulls, using known weights, levers, and related measurements. Such instruments helped turn observations of machines and motion into quantities that could be compared.
Leonardo’s engineering method repeatedly connected visual drawings with experiments and measurement. He investigated friction, falling bodies, water, wind, and the performance of machines. A force-measuring device fits this broader program because it could help assess how much effort a mechanism required or how strongly a moving object acted.
The term dynamometer is also used today for engine test equipment and hand-grip force meters. Leonardo’s proposed apparatus should not be treated as identical to modern electronic instruments. It was a mechanical concept from the Renaissance. It is also not a barometer, which measures atmospheric pressure, or an odometer, which measures distance traveled.