What name is given to Leonardo da Vinci’s pyramid-shaped design intended to let a person parachute safely?

Leonardo da Vinci’s parachute is the pyramid-shaped design intended to let a person descend safely from a height.

Leonardo drew the concept around 1485 in the Codex Atlanticus. It used a rigid, pyramid-like linen canopy supported by wooden poles, rather than the flexible fabric parachutes used today. His note claimed that a person could jump from any height without injury, although he did not record a practical test.

The design is an invention sketch, not a documented working aircraft. In 2000, British adventurer Adrian Nicholas built and tested a full-size replica; it descended successfully but was too bulky to land safely, so he changed to a modern parachute near the ground. Leonardo’s idea is often called the first serious parachute design, while the modern parachute developed much later.