Leonardo da Vinci designed a mechanical knight in 1495 that could sit, stand, and move its arms.
The machine was an armored humanoid automaton operated by cables and a system of gears inside its body. Leonardo’s notes indicate that it could raise its arms, move its head and jaw, and change position. It may have been created for a celebration at the Milanese court of Ludovico Sforza.
No original mechanical knight has survived, so its exact capabilities remain uncertain. Engineers reconstructed the design in the early 21st century using Leonardo’s sketches and found that a working version was possible, although some details had to be interpreted.
Calling it a robot is convenient but historically modern. Leonardo’s machine was not programmable in the electronic sense; it was a mechanical automaton whose movements followed fixed linkages. The design shows his interest in anatomy, stage machinery, and the mechanical imitation of human motion.