Scientists use 500-year-old da Vinci’s sketch to silence drones

As technology continues to evolve, scientists are sometimes turning to old manuscripts for ideas on how to improve modern products, and among them is a 500-year-old Leonardo da Vinci sketch, which they’re using to solve modern drone noise problems.

Specifically, a 15th-century notebook by da Vinci features a continuous spiral rotor he referred to as an “aerial screw,” and scientists have run simulations that suggested this design could lift a modern drone without sacrificing power and peace of mind, according to a report by Earth.com on July 6.

A 3D model of da Vinci's aerial screw and the CAD model with taper and one full turn. Source: arXiv — *A 3D model of da Vinci’s aerial screw and the CAD model with taper and one full turn. Source: arXiv*

Bringing da Vinci’s sketch to reality

Indeed, the study led by Rajat Mittal of Johns Hopkins University has tested the Renaissance sketch of the spiral that looks like an oversized Archimedes’ screw, a water-lifting helix from ancient Greece, with the exception that it twists upward to push air downward.

Thanks to the lightweight electric motors and carbon-fiber skins of today, the centuries-old abandoned idea was revived, resulting first in a small prototype built at the University of Maryland in 2020, and now with the new work that introduces supercomputer fidelity to the prototype that had thin efficiency data.

Furthermore, Mittal’s team rebuilt the rotor in code and ran direct numerical simulations, tracking every swirl of air around the spiral as it was in the air, and probing aerodynamics and aeroacoustics at several Reynolds number values, which is a parameter that links size, speed, and viscosity, translating them to real rotors.

As Mittal explained, the results surprised everyone, as the screw needed around 20% less mechanical power than a two-blade prop to hold the same weight, and produced a quieter signature thanks to the spiral presenting more surface but turning slower, leading to a weaker pressure pulse.

This design would solve the problem of modern drones making noise at the moment where complaints are increasing, with the Federal Aviation Administration logging 8,746 aircraft noise reports in Q1 2025, and a NASA laboratory reporting a sharp rise in community annoyance when drone flights repeat every few minutes.

Meanwhile, a dentist seems to have solved the mathematics mystery hidden in da Vinci’s famous anatomical drawing, the Vitruvian Man, focusing on the detail of an equilateral triangle between the man’s legs that corresponds to Bonwill’s triangle, an imaginary equilateral triangle in dental anatomy that defines the optimal performance of the human jaw.