What self-propelled machine did Leonardo da Vinci design for moving without animals?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a self-propelled cart that could move without animals.

The machine was a spring-powered vehicle, probably intended for theatrical performances or court spectacles. Coiled springs stored energy, and a system of gears transferred that energy to the cart’s wheels. Steering could be set in advance by adjusting components inside the mechanism.

Leonardo’s drawings show a compact three-wheeled vehicle rather than a practical road automobile. Because the springs provided only limited stored energy, the cart would have traveled a short distance and followed a predetermined route.

The design is sometimes described as the world’s first robotic vehicle or automobile. Those labels are modern interpretations, but the important historical fact is that Leonardo proposed an autonomous, mechanically powered cart long before motor vehicles were developed.