What bladed war machine did Leonardo da Vinci design to cut through enemy infantry?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a scythed chariot, a war machine intended to cut through enemy infantry.

His design placed rotating blades on or near the wheels of a horse-drawn chariot. As the vehicle moved, the blades would sweep through soldiers standing in its path. Leonardo’s drawing shows an elaborate mechanism that could transmit motion from the wheels to the cutting arms.

Scythed chariots were not Leonardo’s invention in the broad historical sense. Ancient armies, especially in the ancient Near East and the Hellenistic world, used chariots fitted with blades. Leonardo revisited the concept during his Renaissance studies of military engineering and mechanical motion.

The machine was dangerous to its own operators as well as to opponents. It would have been difficult to control in crowded or uneven terrain, and there is no reliable evidence that Leonardo’s version was built or used in battle.