What type of military vehicle did Leonardo da Vinci design with sloped armor and many guns?

Leonardo da Vinci designed an armoured fighting vehicle with sloped armor and multiple guns. He sketched the machine in the late fifteenth century as a covered, conical vehicle that could move across a battlefield.

The vehicle’s armor was intended to protect its crew, while light cannons were arranged around the platform so they could fire in several directions. A team of people inside would turn cranks connected to wheels. The sloping exterior could help deflect incoming projectiles, an idea later associated with armored military vehicles.

Leonardo’s drawing contains a famous mechanical problem: the gearing appears arranged so the vehicle would move backward instead of forward. Some historians think this may have been deliberate, perhaps to prevent the design from being copied or used. No evidence shows that Leonardo’s vehicle was built for warfare.