Leonardo da Vinci designed water-wheel machines to produce continuous mechanical motion from flowing or falling water.
Leonardo studied wheels, gears, pumps, and mills in detail, recording ways to transfer the energy of water into useful rotation. His drawings include improved water-wheel arrangements and mechanisms for moving water, powering machinery, and supporting industrial work. The wheel’s rotation could be transmitted through shafts and gears to another device.
Leonardo did not invent the water wheel. Water-powered wheels had been used for centuries before his lifetime in mills and other machinery. His contribution was analytical and inventive: he explored ways to increase efficiency, regulate motion, and combine wheels with complex mechanical systems.
The term “water wheel” covers several forms, including undershot, overshot, and breastshot wheels. Leonardo’s notebooks contain more than one water-powered concept, so the answer refers to the machine type rather than one single finalized model.