Leonardo da Vinci designed a pyramid-shaped parachute canopy.
Around 1485, Leonardo sketched a parachute in the Codex Atlanticus. His design used a rigid, pyramid-like wooden frame covered with linen cloth. The drawing shows a broad canopy intended to catch air and slow a person’s descent.
Leonardo did not record a documented test of the design, so it is best described as an early parachute concept rather than a proven working device. The pyramid shape is the key feature that distinguishes it from modern round or ram-air parachutes.
Modern parachutes rely on flexible fabric, suspension lines, and carefully controlled air flow. Leonardo’s concept was much heavier and structurally different, but it anticipated the basic goal of parachuting: increasing drag so a falling person reaches a safer descent speed.