Leonardo da Vinci designed a pyramidal parachute with a triangular canopy in the late fifteenth century.
In a manuscript drawing, Leonardo proposed a linen-covered wooden frame shaped like a pyramid. He estimated that a person could descend safely from a great height using the structure. The design relied on air resistance slowing the fall, the basic principle used by parachutes today.
Leonardo did not build or test the parachute. Modern parachutes use flexible fabric canopies, suspension lines, and harnesses, so his rigid pyramid was not a practical modern parachute. In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nicholas constructed and tested a version based on the drawing, reporting that it could descend successfully, although he changed to a conventional parachute near the ground for safety.
The invention is frequently described as an early parachute concept rather than an operational Renaissance device. Its significance is that Leonardo clearly connected a broad surface with controlled air resistance and human survival during a fall.