Leonardo da Vinci designed a water screw to lift water from a river. His sketches show a helical device intended to move water upward as the screw rotated.
The idea was based on the ancient screw associated with Archimedes. Leonardo studied and redrew many hydraulic machines, adapting established principles for canals, drainage, irrigation, and construction. A rotating spiral inside a tube or trough carries water from a lower level to a higher one.
Leonardo did not invent the basic screw principle; Archimedes is traditionally credited with the ancient water-lifting device. Leonardo's importance lies in his detailed Renaissance studies and mechanical drawings. The water screw is also different from his canal gates: one lifts water, while the other controls water levels and passage between sections of a canal.