What kind of machine did Leonardo da Vinci design to move itself without an animal?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a self-propelled cart powered by wound-up springs.

The machine appears in drawings made around 1478 to 1480. Two symmetrical leaf springs stored energy, while a steering system controlled the front wheel. A complex arrangement of gears regulated the release of that energy, allowing the cart to travel without a horse or another animal pulling it.

The cart was probably intended for theatrical or ceremonial use rather than ordinary transport. It could have entered a stage or moved as part of a court spectacle. Leonardo’s surviving drawings do not provide every construction detail, so modern replicas have been important in showing that the basic mechanism can work.

The cart is sometimes described as an early automobile, but that comparison can mislead. It had no combustion engine and only a limited stored-energy range. Its significance lies in autonomous mechanical motion, centuries before motor vehicles became practical.