Leonardo da Vinci designed a pyramid-shaped parachute for controlled descent through the air.
Leonardo included the parachute design in a manuscript now associated with the Codex Atlanticus, generally dated to about 1485. His drawing shows a rigid pyramid-like frame covered with linen cloth. The proposed structure was approximately seven metres high and seven metres wide at its base, giving it a broad surface to slow a person’s fall.
Leonardo did not test the design, and no evidence shows that he built a functional version. His notes state that a person could descend safely from a great height with such a device, provided the structure was sufficiently large. Modern replicas have demonstrated that the design can descend, although a contemporary test used a modified version for safety.
The parachute was not a powered aircraft. It belongs to Leonardo’s wider investigations of air resistance, falling bodies, and human flight, alongside his studies of wings and rotating machines.