Leonardo da Vinci designed a human-shaped mechanical automaton known as the robot knight.
The design was created around 1495 for a pageant in Milan associated with the court of Ludovico Sforza. The armored figure was intended to sit, stand, move its arms, and move its head and jaw through a system of cables, pulleys, and gears.
Leonardo’s surviving notes and anatomical studies helped him plan the machine’s proportions and movement. The original automaton has not survived, so modern versions are reconstructions based on the drawings and related evidence.
The word “robot” is modern and was not used by Leonardo. His machine was a mechanical automaton, designed for display and entertainment rather than independent decision-making. That distinction separates it from modern robots, which use electronic control and programmable systems.