What self-moving vehicle did Leonardo da Vinci design around 1478, often described as an early robot or car?

Leonardo da Vinci’s spring-powered vehicle is known as the self-propelled cart.

Leonardo designed the cart around 1478. Unlike a modern automobile, it was powered by coiled springs rather than an engine. The springs were wound before operation, and gearing transferred their stored energy to the wheels. Steering could be set in advance, allowing the cart to follow a programmed route for a limited distance.

The machine is sometimes called Leonardo’s robot because a reconstructed version was used in theatrical settings, including celebrations at the court of Milan. The term should not suggest an electronic or intelligent robot. The device had no sensing system or independent reasoning; it was a mechanical automaton capable of controlled movement.

A full-scale reconstruction was built in 2006 by researchers at the Institute and Museum of the History of Science in Florence, now the Galileo Museum. The reconstruction helped demonstrate how the spring and gear arrangement could work, although details of the original design remain open to interpretation.