What Leonardo da Vinci invention was a wheeled vehicle that moved without being pushed or pulled by animals?

Leonardo da Vinci’s self-propelled cart was a wheeled vehicle designed to move without animals or a person pushing it.

Leonardo sketched the cart around 1478–1480. Its motion came from coiled springs placed inside two large drums, while a system of gears controlled how far the wheels turned. A steering mechanism could be set in advance, allowing the cart to follow a predetermined path rather than being continuously guided.

Because it could perform a programmed movement, the cart is often described as an early robot or a distant ancestor of the automobile. It was probably intended for theatrical displays or court entertainments rather than practical transportation. The design was not powered by an engine and could not respond to changing obstacles.

Reconstructions have shown that the mechanism can work when built according to the surviving drawings, although details remain uncertain. The cart’s significance lies in combining stored energy, gearing, and programmable steering in one compact machine.