Leonardo da Vinci designed cranes for raising heavy materials on building sites.
His notebooks contain several lifting machines using ropes, pulleys, gears, and counterweights. Some designs were mounted on rotating platforms, allowing a load to be lifted and then swung sideways. This combination made a crane more useful than a simple fixed hoist, especially when positioning stone or other heavy construction materials.
Leonardo was not the first person to use cranes. Ancient Greek and Roman builders had already developed lifting devices, and medieval construction sites used many forms of hoist. Leonardo's importance lies in his detailed mechanical studies and his attempts to improve efficiency, control, and portability.
A crane is different from a pulley. A pulley changes the direction or mechanical advantage of a rope, while a crane is a complete lifting machine that may include pulleys, winches, booms, and rotating supports. Leonardo's drawings explored these components as parts of practical construction equipment.