What type of self-propelled vehicle did Leonardo da Vinci design for a theatrical performance?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a spring-powered cart that could move without being continuously pushed or pulled by a person.

The cart appears in Leonardo’s Codex Atlanticus and is generally dated to the late fifteenth century. Coiled springs stored mechanical energy, while gears transferred that energy to the wheels. A steering mechanism helped determine the vehicle’s path, making it a sophisticated automaton for its period.

The cart is often presented as an early automobile, but that description can mislead. It had no engine using fuel and was not intended for ordinary transportation. Scholars commonly connect it with court entertainment or stage effects, where a vehicle could make a planned movement on its own.

It is also separate from Leonardo’s wheeled robot design. Both use wheels and mechanisms, but the spring-powered cart is identified specifically by its stored-energy propulsion.