What name is commonly given to Leonardo da Vinci’s 1478 design for a vehicle that moved under its own power?

The 1478 vehicle design by Leonardo da Vinci is commonly called the self-propelled cart.

Leonardo’s sketch shows a small four-wheeled vehicle powered by coiled springs. The springs were wound before use, and their stored energy was transferred through gears to the wheels. Steering was limited, but the mechanism could make the cart move without an animal pulling it.

The design is often called the first robot or the first automobile, but both labels need care. It was not a modern car, and Leonardo did not build a documented full-scale working version. Its autonomous motion nevertheless makes it an important early example of mechanical engineering and programmable movement.

A reconstruction displayed at the 2006 Florence Science Festival showed that the mechanism could operate. The cart may have been intended for theatrical performances, court festivities, or stage effects rather than transportation.