Leonardo da Vinci designed a pyramidal parachute for a controlled descent from high altitude.
His sketch appears in the Codex Atlanticus and shows a broad cloth canopy supported by a rigid wooden frame. Leonardo proposed that a person could descend safely using the structure, although he did not build or test the device during his lifetime.
The design is commonly described as pyramidal because its canopy resembles a four-sided pyramid. It differs from modern round or ram-air parachutes, which use flexible canopies and suspension lines. Leonardo’s proposal was based on the idea that trapped air beneath a large surface would slow a falling body.
In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nicholas constructed and tested a version based on Leonardo’s drawing. It worked, although modern safety standards require a conventional parachute for an actual jump. Leonardo’s design is therefore an early parachute concept, not the first modern parachute.