Leonardo da Vinci designed a parachute as a pyramid-shaped device to slow a person's fall from the air.
He recorded the concept around 1485 in the Codex Atlanticus. His drawing shows a wooden framework covered with linen, forming a four-sided pyramid about seven metres high and seven metres wide. Leonardo reasoned that a person could descend safely if the structure provided enough air resistance.
The design was centuries ahead of practical parachutes, but Leonardo did not build or test it. In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nicholas constructed a version using materials consistent with Leonardo's description and successfully tested it, although he used a modern parachute for the final landing.
Leonardo's parachute is distinct from his other flight studies. It does not use flapping wings or a rotating rotor; it relies entirely on drag, the same basic aerodynamic principle used by modern parachutes.