What rotating crane did Leonardo da Vinci design for lifting heavy loads?

Leonardo da Vinci designed revolving cranes for lifting and positioning heavy loads.

His crane studies explored hoists, gears, pulleys, and rotating frames. A revolving crane could turn while carrying a load, giving workers greater control over where materials were placed. Such mechanisms were useful for construction, canal work, and the movement of large stones or building components.

Leonardo did not invent the crane, since lifting machines had been used since antiquity. His importance lies in the detailed mechanical designs he recorded and refined. These drawings are sometimes described as modern tower cranes in embryo, but Leonardo’s machines were powered by human effort, animal power, or hand-operated mechanisms rather than electric motors and hydraulic systems.