What transport invention did Leonardo da Vinci design to move without horses?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a self-propelled cart intended to move without horses.

The machine used coiled springs as its stored energy source. When released, the springs turned a mechanism connected to the cart’s wheels. Leonardo’s drawings also show steering arrangements, suggesting that the device was meant to follow a planned path rather than simply roll forward.

The cart is often described as an early ancestor of the automobile, but that comparison needs care. It had no engine, fuel system, or modern controls. Its motion depended on mechanical energy wound into springs before the journey.

A working reconstruction was built in the 21st century and demonstrated that the mechanism could operate. Historians still debate the original purpose, with possibilities including stage machinery, ceremonial display, or an engineering experiment.