Leonardo da Vinci designed a pyramidal parachute for a person to descend safely.
Leonardo included the design in the Codex Atlanticus, probably around 1485. It consists of a rigid-looking square-based pyramid covered with cloth, supported by wooden poles. His idea was that the structure would trap air and slow a fall, even though he did not record a documented human test.
The design is often called an early parachute concept, not the first practical parachute. Modern parachutes use flexible canopies, suspension lines, and harnesses, while Leonardo's proposed canopy depended on a substantial frame. In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nicholas tested a reconstruction and reported that it descended successfully, although he used a modern parachute for the final landing.
Leonardo's drawing is also distinct from his flying-machine sketches: the parachute is intended to control descent, not provide powered or sustained flight.