Leonardo da Vinci’s self-propelled cart is often associated with the automobile. The compact mechanism used coiled springs to store energy and drive the cart, making it one of the earliest known designs for a vehicle that could move without being pushed or pulled by an animal.
Leonardo drew the machine around 1478 to 1480. Its front wheels could be steered, while a system of gears and cams controlled movement. The cart may have been intended for theatrical performances or court celebrations rather than transportation, because its limited stored energy would not have suited long-distance travel.
The cart is not an automobile in the modern engineering sense. It had no internal-combustion engine, electric motor, pneumatic tires, or passenger cabin. “Self-propelled cart” is the historically safer description, while “robotic vehicle” emphasizes its programmed motion.
A full-scale reconstruction was built in Italy in 2006. The reconstruction demonstrated that the mechanism could operate, supporting the interpretation that Leonardo’s design was mechanically workable.