What Leonardo da Vinci machine used springs and gears to move without a horse?

Leonardo da Vinci’s spring-powered machine that could move without a horse was the self-propelled cart.

Leonardo designed the cart in the late 15th century, probably for theatrical performances or court festivities. Wound springs supplied the energy, while gears transferred that energy to the wheels. A programmable steering mechanism could make the cart follow a set path.

The drawing does not provide every construction detail, so historians and engineers have reconstructed the machine in different ways. In 2006, researchers in Florence built a working model based on Leonardo’s sketches. It moved under spring power and demonstrated the basic principle.

The cart is sometimes called an early automobile, but that description can mislead. It had no engine, fuel system, or modern steering. It was a clockwork vehicle intended for short, controlled movement rather than road travel.