Leonardo da Vinci's rotating machine intended to lift off vertically is the aerial screw.
Leonardo drew the aerial screw around 1489, showing a large helical sail wrapped around a central mast. His notes suggest that the screw could rise if its linen-covered surface were turned rapidly. The concept is widely regarded as an early helicopter-like design, although it could not have lifted itself with the materials and power sources available in the fifteenth century.
The design was inspired partly by the motion of Archimedes' screw, an ancient device used to move water. Leonardo adapted the screw principle for flight rather than pumping. His drawing includes a circular platform and several operators, indicating that human muscle might have powered the mechanism.
The aerial screw was not a functioning helicopter. Modern helicopters use powered rotors, aerodynamic blades, and control systems. Nevertheless, the sketch is an important example of Leonardo studying vertical flight centuries before practical rotorcraft appeared.