What device did Leonardo da Vinci design to launch a parachutist safely from a height?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a pyramidal parachute intended to let a person descend safely from a height.

His drawing, made around 1485, shows a rigid pyramid-shaped frame covered with linen. Leonardo proposed dimensions of roughly 7.2 metres in height and width, creating a large surface to resist falling through the air. His reasoning anticipated the basic function of a parachute: air resistance slows a descending body.

There is no evidence that Leonardo tested the design. Its rigid frame and shape differ from modern fabric parachutes, which are lightweight, flexible, and designed to inflate reliably. In 2000, British adventurer Adrian Nichols tested a replica based on Leonardo’s design and reported that it descended successfully, although he used a modern parachute for safety.

Leonardo’s sketch is therefore an early theoretical parachute design, not a proven Renaissance rescue device.