What name is commonly given to Leonardo da Vinci’s spring-powered cart, designed around 1500?

Leonardo da Vinci’s spring-powered cart is commonly called the self-propelled cart.

Leonardo designed the cart in the late 15th or early 16th century. Its concealed springs stored energy, while a system of gears transferred that energy to the wheels. The design could move without a person or animal pushing it, making it an early ancestor of robotic and automotive mechanisms.

The cart was probably intended for theatrical use rather than transportation. It may have been used to create a dramatic moving effect during court celebrations. Unlike a modern car, it had no engine, steering wheel, brakes, or fuel system.

A full-scale reconstruction was built in the 21st century, and researchers found that the surviving drawings omit some details needed to determine the exact original operation. The machine is therefore best described as a spring-powered automaton, not a modern automobile.