Leonardo da Vinci designed an anemometer, an instrument for measuring wind speed.
His design used a plate that moved in response to the wind. The height reached by the plate could be read against a graduated scale, giving an indication of wind strength. This was not the cup anemometer commonly seen today, which measures wind through the rotation of cups.
Leonardo’s interest was closely connected with flight. Understanding wind direction and force would have helped him study birds and evaluate his flying-machine ideas. His notebooks show that he approached air as a measurable physical medium rather than merely an invisible force.
Leonardo’s instrument is frequently described as an early anemometer, not necessarily the first device ever to assess wind. Earlier cultures had ways to observe wind direction, while later instruments made speed readings more precise and repeatable.