Leonardo da Vinci designed a mechanical robot capable of performing human-like movements.
The design dates from about 1495, when Leonardo was working in Milan. It was probably intended for a theatrical display or court spectacle rather than for practical labor. The machine was dressed in armor and built around a system of pulleys, cables, gears, and a supporting frame.
Leonardo’s robot could reportedly sit, stand, move its arms, and turn its head. The surviving drawings were incomplete, so modern researchers reconstructed the mechanism from Leonardo’s notes and anatomical studies. A full-scale reconstruction was publicly demonstrated in the early 21st century.
This machine is sometimes called Leonardo’s mechanical knight because its exterior resembled a medieval armored warrior. It was not an autonomous robot in the modern electronic sense: it depended on mechanical linkages and external preparation. Nevertheless, it is an important early example of humanoid automaton design.