Leonardo da Vinci’s self-moving cart was designed to move itself without a driver.
The cart appears in drawings from around 1478–1480 and is often described as an early programmable machine. Springs stored energy, while a system of gears and cams controlled the motion of the wheels. The mechanism could be set in advance, allowing the cart to travel along a planned path rather than being pushed or steered by a person.
Researchers have reconstructed the device and found that its design could produce movement, although the original drawings leave some details open to interpretation. The cart was probably intended for theatrical or ceremonial use, perhaps to enter a performance or court event in an impressive way.
It is sometimes called Leonardo’s robot, but it was not a humanoid robot and did not make decisions. Its importance is mechanical: it used stored energy and programmed motion. That makes it a precursor to later clockwork automata and automated vehicles rather than a modern autonomous car.