What type of cart did Leonardo da Vinci design to move without being pushed or pulled by animals?

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

The cart was powered by coiled springs mounted inside its body. As the springs unwound, they transmitted motion through gears to the wheels. A steering system allowed the machine to follow a predetermined route, making it an early example of programmable mechanical movement.

Leonardo probably intended the cart for theatrical performances or court spectacles rather than transportation. It may have been able to travel only a limited distance because the springs stored a finite amount of energy. The design dates from the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century and is preserved in Leonardo’s engineering drawings.

The cart is often described as a robot or an ancestor of the automobile, but both labels require care. It had no engine, and its route was mechanically set rather than controlled by a modern driver. Reconstructed versions have demonstrated that the basic mechanism can work.