Leonardo da Vinci drew a pyramid-shaped parachute as a device for descending safely from a height.
The design appears in the Codex Atlanticus, where Leonardo proposed a rigid-framed pyramid covered with cloth. He wrote that a person could jump from a great height while holding the structure and land without injury. The broad canopy would create air resistance, slowing the fall.
Leonardo’s parachute was not tested during his lifetime, and its wooden frame would have made it heavy and awkward. In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nicholas built and tested a historically based version, reporting that it descended successfully, although he used a modern parachute near the ground for safety. A later test by Olivier Vietti-Teppa used a redesigned replica.
The concept differs from a modern flexible parachute, which opens into a fabric canopy without a large rigid pyramid. Leonardo’s drawing is still recognized as an early systematic parachute proposal.