What clockwork humanoid did Leonardo da Vinci design around 1495?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a clockwork humanoid known as the mechanical knight around 1495.

The figure was drawn in armor and appears to have been intended to sit, stand, raise its arms, and move its head and jaw through an internal system of gears and cables. Leonardo’s anatomical studies helped him think about how joints and limbs could be linked mechanically, turning the figure into an early experiment in humanlike motion.

The knight was probably created for a court festival or spectacle connected with Ludovico Sforza in Milan. It was not an electronic robot and could not make independent decisions. Its programmed movements came from mechanical components operated by stored motion and gearing.

The original machine was not preserved, but modern builders have reconstructed versions from Leonardo’s drawings and related notes. The mechanical knight should not be confused with the mechanical lion, another automaton associated with Leonardo and designed in animal form.