What was Leonardo da Vinci’s pyramid-shaped escape device designed to do?

Leonardo da Vinci’s pyramid-shaped escape device was designed to slow a person’s fall.

Leonardo described the device in a manuscript note dated 1485. His design used a rigid pyramid-shaped wooden frame covered with cloth. He estimated that a person could jump from a great height while remaining unhurt if the structure were sufficiently wide and deep. The idea was based on the resistance produced when air pushes against a broad surface.

Leonardo did not build or test the parachute. Centuries later, practical parachutes developed through experiments with fabric canopies and suspension lines. In 2000, British adventurer Adrian Nicholas built and tested a version based on Leonardo’s description. It descended successfully, although Nicholas used a modern safety parachute because the rigid historical design could be dangerous near the ground.

Leonardo’s proposal is significant because it recognizes the basic principle of parachuting: increasing drag reduces falling speed. It was not the first modern parachute, but it was an unusually detailed early design.