What mechanical device did Leonardo da Vinci design to imitate a human soldier in armor?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a mechanical knight to imitate a human soldier in armor.

Leonardo created the design around 1495 while working in Milan, probably for a pageant or court entertainment connected with Ludovico Sforza. The machine was drawn as an armored figure operated by an internal system of cables, pulleys, and gears. Reconstructions based on the drawings indicate that it could perform movements such as sitting, standing, and moving its arms.

The mechanical knight is often described as a robot, although “robot” is a modern term that did not exist in Leonardo’s time. It was an automaton rather than an autonomous artificial intelligence system. In 2002, roboticist Mark Rosheim built a working reconstruction from Leonardo’s surviving sketches. The machine demonstrates Leonardo’s interest in anatomy, mechanics, theatrical technology, and the possibility of reproducing human motion with mechanisms.