Leonardo da Vinci sketched a pyramidal parachute as a device for safely descending from a height.
His design appears in the Codex Atlanticus and consists of a large linen canopy supported by a wooden pyramid-like frame. Leonardo wrote that a person could descend safely if the structure were sufficiently wide and deep, although he did not record a documented test.
The drawing is an early theoretical parachute design, not evidence that Leonardo invented modern parachuting. Modern parachutes use flexible fabric canopies, suspension lines, and harnesses rather than a rigid frame. The idea is also separate from Leonardo’s flying-machine sketches, which attempted to generate lift for sustained flight.
In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nichols built and tested a modern interpretation of Leonardo’s design. The experiment demonstrated that the concept could work, although the rigid structure was not practical for ordinary parachuting.