What did Leonardo da Vinci call his wagon-like vehicle that moved without being pushed by people or animals?

Leonardo da Vinci’s wagon-like vehicle designed to move without people or animals pushing it is known as the self-propelled cart.

Leonardo drew the mechanism around 1478–1480. Springs wound inside the vehicle stored energy, while a system of gears and cams controlled the release of that energy to the wheels. The design could also be set to follow a predetermined route, making it an early example of programmable mechanical motion.

The cart was not an automobile in the modern sense. It had no combustion engine, steering system like a modern car, or practical method for carrying passengers over roads. Its spring-powered mechanism was more closely related to clockwork and theatrical machinery.

A full-scale reconstruction was built in the early 21st century after engineers studied Leonardo’s drawings. Reconstructions helped show that the mechanism could operate, although details in the surviving sketches leave room for interpretation.