Leonardo da Vinci designed a robot knight, a mechanical soldier powered by an internal system of pulleys and gears.
Leonardo prepared the design in 1495 while working in Milan for Ludovico Sforza. The machine was shaped like a medieval armored knight and was intended to sit, stand, raise its arms, and move its head and jaw. Its mechanisms were hidden inside the armor.
The robot was probably conceived for court entertainment rather than military use. No original machine survives, and historical evidence does not prove that the complete design was built in Leonardo’s lifetime. Engineers reconstructed working versions in the modern era after studying his notes and drawings.
The invention is often called Leonardo’s robot or Leonardo’s mechanical knight. It should not be confused with Leonardo’s armored fighting vehicle: the robot imitated human movement, while the fighting vehicle was a mobile weapons platform.