What type of machine did Leonardo da Vinci design to produce textiles by twisting fibers?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a spinning machine to produce textiles by twisting fibers.

Leonardo’s notebooks contain studies of mechanisms for spinning thread and improving textile production. His designs use combinations of wheels, spindles, gears, and belts to automate work that was often performed by hand. The goal was to produce thread more efficiently and consistently.

A spinning machine makes thread by drawing out fibers and twisting them together. That process is different from weaving, which interlaces threads to make cloth. Leonardo explored both textile-related mechanisms, but the spinning designs specifically concern the creation of yarn or thread.

Leonardo was not the inventor of spinning technology. Spinning wheels and related devices existed before his studies. His importance here is as an observer and mechanical designer who proposed ways to mechanize repetitive production during the Renaissance.