What mechanical humanoid did Leonardo da Vinci design for a 1495 Milanese court display?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a mechanical knight for a Milanese court display around 1495.

The design was created while Leonardo worked for Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan. It used a system of pulleys, cables, and gears hidden inside an armor-like shell. Historical reconstructions indicate that the figure could sit, stand, raise its arms, and move its head and jaw.

Leonardo's notes do not provide a complete surviving construction plan, so the exact original capabilities remain uncertain. In 2002, roboticist Mark Rosheim built a working model based on Leonardo's drawings and research.

The knight is often called Leonardo's robot, but it was an automaton rather than a programmable electronic robot. Its importance lies in the early use of mechanical linkages to reproduce human movement.