Leonardo da Vinci designed a pyramidal parachute to slow a person’s descent.
Leonardo included the design in the Codex Atlanticus, probably around 1485. His drawing shows a rigid, pyramid-shaped wooden frame covered with linen. He proposed that a person could descend safely from a great height using this broad canopy-like structure.
The design was based on the idea that a large surface moving through air creates resistance. It was not tested in Leonardo’s lifetime, and historians debate details such as the intended dimensions and whether the frame would have been practical or dangerously heavy.
Modern parachutes use flexible fabric canopies and suspension lines rather than Leonardo’s rigid pyramid. In 2000, Adrian Nichols built and tested a modernized version based on the sketch. The test demonstrated that the basic aerodynamic principle could work, though Nichols released the device from a balloon and used a backup parachute.