What Renaissance machine did Leonardo da Vinci design to move without an animal pulling it?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a self-propelled cart that could move without an animal pulling it.

The design, usually dated to the late 15th century, used two large driving wheels and a mechanism powered by coiled springs. A steering system controlled the front wheel, while programmable pins could set the cart to follow a predetermined path. This makes it an important early example of mechanical automation.

Leonardo may have intended the cart for theatrical performances or court entertainments rather than transportation. It was not powered by an engine in the modern sense, and it could travel only a limited distance before its stored spring energy ran out.

In 2006, the Institute and Museum of the History of Science in Florence built a working replica based on Leonardo’s drawings. The cart is sometimes called a robot, but that label is modern and should not imply that it could independently sense or make decisions.