Leonardo da Vinci designed an automatic loom to mechanize parts of cloth weaving.
His technical drawings show mechanisms intended to coordinate the repeated actions needed on a loom. These include moving threads and advancing the woven material in a regular sequence. By transferring repetitive human work to cams, gears, and linked parts, Leonardo applied mechanical automation to textile production.
The design belongs to Leonardo’s broad interest in machines that could improve manufacturing. It should not be confused with the spinning wheel, which turns fibers into yarn, or with the printing press, which transfers text or images to paper. A loom interlaces warp and weft threads to create fabric.
Leonardo’s loom was a design rather than a documented factory machine that transformed the textile industry. Nevertheless, it illustrates his understanding of coordinated motion and anticipates later efforts to automate weaving, especially the mechanically controlled looms developed centuries afterward.