What did Leonardo da Vinci design as an early human-carrying parachute?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a pyramidal parachute as an early human-carrying parachute concept.

His drawing appears in the Codex Atlanticus and is generally dated to about 1485. The design uses a rigid-looking pyramid-shaped canopy covered with cloth, supported by a square wooden frame. Leonardo reasoned that a person could descend safely because the canopy would resist the air.

The design was theoretical rather than a documented working aircraft. It should not be confused with the modern round parachute, which uses a flexible canopy and suspension lines. In 2000, British adventurer Adrian Nicholas tested a full-scale reconstruction and reported that it descended successfully, although he used a modern parachute for the final landing because the replica was difficult to steer.

Leonardo's sketch is important because it shows him applying geometry and observation to controlled descent centuries before practical parachutes became common.