What humanoid machine did Leonardo da Vinci design for a Milanese court ceremony?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a robotic knight for a Milanese court ceremony.

The machine was created around 1495 for festivities held under the patronage of Ludovico Sforza. Leonardo's drawings show an armored figure operated by a system of pulleys, cables, and gears. The mechanism could reportedly make basic humanlike movements, including sitting, standing, and moving its arms.

No original robotic knight survives, and the design was reconstructed in modern times from Leonardo's notebooks. It was an automaton, not an artificial-intelligence robot: its actions came from mechanical linkages and programmed motion. The invention demonstrates Leonardo's interest in entertainment, anatomy, and mechanical control as well as warfare.