What self-propelled vehicle did Leonardo da Vinci design to move without being pushed by people or animals?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a self-propelled cart that could move without being pushed by people or animals.

The cart appears in Leonardo’s drawings from around 1478. Its motion came from coiled springs housed inside the vehicle, with the stored energy transferred through gears to the wheels. A mechanism resembling a modern clock escapement controlled the release of energy, helping the cart travel a planned distance rather than unwinding immediately.

The vehicle was probably intended for theatrical performances or court spectacles rather than transportation. It could be prepared in advance and released at a chosen moment, making it useful as a stage effect. Steering could also be set through adjustable components, allowing the cart to follow a predetermined path.

The cart is sometimes called the first robot or the first automobile, but both labels need care. It had no engine and was not designed for ordinary road travel. It was a spring-powered automaton. A 2006 reconstruction at the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia in Milan showed that the basic mechanism could function.