Leonardo da Vinci’s conical emergency descent device is a parachute.
Leonardo described a pyramid-shaped canopy in a manuscript usually dated to around 1485. His notes say that a person could jump from a great height while protected by a structure made from linen cloth held open by poles. The design is often cited as an early parachute concept because it uses drag to slow a fall.
Leonardo did not document a test of the device, and there is no evidence that he built or used it. The idea also differs from modern parachutes, which are lightweight, flexible, and designed with carefully controlled deployment and stability. The pyramid canopy would have been bulky and potentially dangerous.
In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nicholas made a replica jump based on Leonardo’s measurements, though he used a modern reserve parachute for safety. The demonstration showed that the concept could generate substantial drag, not that Leonardo had created a practical modern parachute.