What rotating weapon did Leonardo da Vinci design to attack groups of soldiers?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a scythed chariot with rotating blades for warfare.

The concept combined a chariot with blades mounted on a rotating mechanism. As the vehicle moved, the blades were intended to threaten soldiers nearby. Leonardo’s drawings show his interest in converting wheel rotation into a weapon, although the design would have created serious dangers for its own operators and horses.

Scythed chariots were not entirely new in military history. Ancient armies had used chariots fitted with blades, especially in accounts associated with Persian warfare. Leonardo’s version represents a Renaissance reworking of the idea through mechanical detail.

The machine is sometimes described as a practical invention, but there is no firm evidence that Leonardo’s design entered battlefield service. It is best understood as a speculative military machine recorded in his notebooks.