Leonardo da Vinci’s clockwork vehicle was designed to move itself without a visible animal pulling it.
The machine, usually called Leonardo’s self-propelled cart, was designed around 1500. Springs inside the vehicle stored energy, while gears transferred that energy to the wheels. A programmable control system using shaped cams could determine the cart’s path, making it an early example of a vehicle with pre-set movement.
Leonardo may have intended the cart for theatrical events, stage effects, or court ceremonies rather than transportation. Its compact form and mechanical action could create the impression that a decorated object was moving by itself.
The cart is sometimes called the first robot or the first automobile, but both labels need qualification. It was not a powered road vehicle in the modern sense, and its automation was limited to a planned sequence. In 2006, researchers built a working replica based on the surviving drawings.