Leonardo da Vinci designed an anemometer to indicate wind speed.
His version used a flat plate that moved with the wind. The height to which the plate rose on a graduated scale gave an indication of the wind’s strength. Leonardo described the instrument in connection with studies of flight and atmospheric movement.
The word anemometer comes from the Greek name Aeolus, the mythological keeper of the winds. Modern anemometers commonly use rotating cups, propellers, or ultrasonic sensors, but Leonardo’s design was a pressure- or force-based instrument rather than a modern cup device.
Leonardo’s anemometer should not be confused with a barometer. A barometer measures atmospheric pressure, while an anemometer measures wind speed. His interest in both air movement and bird flight helped connect mechanical invention with observational science.