What type of robot did Leonardo da Vinci design in armor for a 1495 Milan celebration?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a humanoid robot in armor for a Milan celebration around 1495.

The machine is often called Leonardo's robot or Leonardo's mechanical knight. Its internal system of cables, pulleys, and gears was designed to make the armored figure sit, stand, raise its arms, and move its head and jaw. The surviving notes do not provide a complete modern construction manual, so some details remain uncertain.

Leonardo created the design while working for Ludovico Sforza in Milan. The intended setting was a court spectacle, where mechanical figures and theatrical effects could impress guests. No original robot has survived, and historians cannot confirm that the complete machine was built.

In 2002, Mark Rosheim built a working model based on Leonardo's drawings. The reconstruction demonstrated that the design's basic movements were mechanically feasible. It was an automaton, not an intelligent robot with electronic control.