What type of pump did Leonardo da Vinci design with pistons for moving water?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a reciprocating pump with pistons for moving water. In this kind of machine, a piston travels back and forth inside a cylinder, using valves to draw in and expel liquid.

Leonardo’s hydraulic studies included pumps, canals, locks and other devices for controlling water. His drawings show how mechanical motion could be converted into useful pumping action, even though many designs remained proposals rather than manufactured machines.

A reciprocating pump is different from a rotary pump, which moves fluid through continuous circular motion. It is also different from Leonardo’s Archimedes’ screw, which raises water along a helical path.

The basic piston principle remains important in modern equipment. Industrial reciprocating pumps can generate high pressure, although contemporary versions use carefully engineered seals, valves and materials unavailable to Renaissance designers.