What kind of cart did Leonardo da Vinci sketch as a self-moving vehicle?

Leonardo da Vinci sketched a self-propelled cart as a self-moving vehicle.

The design appears in Leonardo’s surviving engineering studies from the late 15th century. Unlike an ordinary wagon, it was intended to move without a person or animal pulling it. Coiled springs inside the cart provided the stored energy, while a system of gears transferred that energy to the wheels.

A steering mechanism could be set before the cart started, allowing it to follow a predetermined route. This made the device useful in theatrical settings, where it could create a dramatic entrance or carry scenery automatically. It was therefore both an engineering experiment and a possible stage machine.

The cart is sometimes described as an early automobile, but that label can mislead. It had no engine, fuel system, or driver’s controls like a modern car. A modern reconstruction demonstrated that the mechanism could work, although the exact original purpose remains uncertain.