Leonardo da Vinci designed an anemometer to measure wind speed with a rotating mechanism.
An anemometer is an instrument for measuring wind speed. Leonardo’s design, recorded in his notebooks, used a hinged plate or vane arrangement that responded to the force of moving air. Related cup-based forms later became standard because wind turns the cups at a rate linked to wind speed.
Leonardo’s interest in the device was connected to flight research. Measuring wind mattered to anyone trying to understand birds, gliders, and flying machines. The instrument was not a complete modern weather station, but it reflected a practical attempt to turn an invisible force into a measurable quantity.
The name comes from the Greek word anemos, meaning wind. Modern cup, vane, and ultrasonic anemometers are more precise and often record data electronically. Leonardo’s version is best viewed as an early scientific measuring instrument rather than a finished aviation sensor.