The astounding inventions of Leonardo da Vinci at the Chateau du Clos Lucé

This screw, made of linen stretched around wire, is none other than the ancestor of the modern helicopter. The rotation is manually activated by turning the wooden cranks around a central axis.

It is undoubtedly the most famous and craziest invention of Leonardo da Vinci, for whom human flight was a real obsession. To design this machine, he fanatically observed birds and bats in flight.

This is one of the most iconic inventions of the Italian master. Under a turtle-shaped shell, with well-placed openings, there are thirty guns ready to create havoc!

Whilst in the service of Ludovic Sforza, Duke of Milan, Leonardo da Vinci conceived a number of formidable war machines, including this catapult.

Behind this somewhat unwieldy name is actually the ancestor of our measuring wheel. At each turn of the wheel on this barrow, a clever mechanism drops a pebble into a basket. At the end, you simply count the number of pebbles to calculate the distance travelled.

The Maestro's inventions also touch on the musical arts with this instrument, possibly designed to be used at street parties but more likely for military parades.