It was among the first to measure minutes as well as hours. For greater accuracy he designed a mechanism with two separate trains, one for minutes and the other for hours each with independent weight and escapements. Clocks registering both hours and minutes had become sufficiently accurate during the 15th century that they were even occasionally used in astronomical observations.

Leonardo made many unsuccessful attempts to design a workable flying machine. This one consisted of a wooden framework and two moveable wings to be activated by the aviator, who was to lie prone in the framework.

Leonardo devised double hulls for ships as a safety measure. If the outer hull was damaged the inner hull would keep the vessel afloat. In more recent times both double hulls and the division of the interior into separate compartments have carried Leonardo's ideas forward.

There are eleven barrels in each tier. While one is fired, another is loaded and the third cools. This design, like other weapons Leonardo designed, shows him constantly attempting to achieve greater fire power.

By meshing three cogged wheels of different diameters with the same lantern wheel, Leonardo found he obtained different speeds of rotation, an idea that eventually found its way into the transmission of the modern automobile.