What humanoid machine did Leonardo da Vinci design for a 1495 Milan celebration?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a mechanical knight for a Milan celebration around 1495.

The machine was probably commissioned by Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, during preparations for a court pageant. Leonardo’s notes and drawings show an armored figure whose internal system of pulleys, cables, and levers could produce human-like movements.

The robot may have been able to sit, stand, raise its visor, and move its arms. Historians cannot confirm every proposed motion, because no original machine survives and Leonardo’s notes are incomplete.

In 2002, roboticist Mark Rosheim built a working interpretation based on Leonardo’s surviving designs. It is often called Leonardo’s robot or Leonardo’s mechanical knight, but it was an automaton rather than a modern programmable robot.