What Leonardo da Vinci vehicle could move without being pushed by an animal?

Leonardo da Vinci’s self-propelled cart was a spring-powered vehicle designed to move without an animal pulling it.

Leonardo drew the cart around 1478–1480. Its mechanism used coiled springs to store energy, while a system of gears controlled the release of that energy to the wheels. A steering system could also be preset, allowing the cart to follow a programmed path.

The design is sometimes called an early automobile, but it lacked an engine and was intended for short demonstrations rather than ordinary transport. A replica built in 2006 by the Institute and Museum of the History of Science in Florence showed that the mechanism could work. The cart may have been suitable for theatrical effects or court spectacles.