Leonardo da Vinci designed an anemometer, an instrument used to measure wind speed.
His design used a light, plate-like element that was moved by the wind. The position of the element could be compared with a graduated scale, allowing an observer to estimate how strongly the air was blowing. Leonardo developed the instrument while studying flight, air movement, and the behavior of atmospheric currents.
An anemometer is not the same as a barometer, which measures air pressure, or a wind vane, which indicates direction. Leonardo’s early instrument was intended primarily to show wind force or speed rather than to provide the precise electronic readings produced by modern sensors.
Modern anemometers commonly use rotating cups, propellers, heated wires, or ultrasonic pulses. Leonardo’s design did not create the complete science of meteorology, but it showed how wind could be turned into a measurable mechanical effect. That approach was especially relevant to his attempts to understand flying machines and bird flight.