Leonardo da Vinci designed an armored vehicle commonly called Leonardo’s tank, featuring a conical protective shell and internal hand cranks.
Leonardo drew the vehicle around 1487–1489 while working for Ludovico Sforza in Milan. Its shell was intended to deflect enemy fire, and the machine carried cannons around its perimeter. The design resembles a low, covered wagon rather than a modern tank, because it had no engine, tracks, or practical steering system.
The vehicle was powered by people turning cranks connected to wheels. A frequently repeated story says Leonardo deliberately included a gearing error to prevent others from using the design, but historians disagree about whether the apparent problem was intentional or simply a flaw in the surviving drawing.
It was never built for Renaissance warfare. The design is important because it combines armor, mobile artillery, and enclosed crew protection centuries before the first operational tanks appeared in the twentieth century.