Leonardo da Vinci designed a scythed chariot with rotating blades intended to cut through enemy infantry.
The proposed machine combined a horse-drawn vehicle with long blades mounted on rotating shafts. As the chariot moved, the blades were meant to sweep through soldiers near its path. Leonardo’s military notebooks contain drawings of this type of device among many studies of weapons and battlefield machines.
The idea was not entirely new: scythed chariots had been associated with ancient warfare, especially in accounts of Persian forces. Leonardo reimagined the concept with Renaissance mechanical details, including gearing and rotating components. His version illustrates how old military ideas could be redesigned using contemporary engineering.
There is no firm evidence that Leonardo’s scythed chariot was built or tested. It would have posed serious risks to its own horses and operators, particularly on uneven ground or against disciplined troops.