What type of vehicle did Leonardo da Vinci design with angled plates to deflect enemy fire?

Leonardo da Vinci designed an armored vehicle with angled plates intended to deflect enemy fire.

The machine appears in a drawing from about 1487–1488 and resembles a conical, covered wagon. Its sloping armor was intended to make incoming projectiles glance away rather than strike a flat vertical surface. A group of men inside would turn cranks connected to wheels.

The vehicle is often called Leonardo’s tank, but that modern label can be misleading. It was not a tracked tank and was never built for Renaissance warfare. Historians also note that the drawing contains a mechanical problem: the crank and wheel arrangements would not work as shown unless corrected.

Leonardo’s design belongs to a broader set of military machines, including bridges, siege weapons, and artillery concepts. Its importance lies mainly in the early use of an armored, mobile fighting vehicle concept.