Leonardo da Vinci’s self-propelled cart was designed to move itself without being pushed by an animal.
The cart appears in sketches from around 1478 to 1480. Springs stored energy, and carefully arranged gears transferred that energy to the wheels. A steering mechanism could set the cart on a predetermined path, making it an early example of a programmable mechanical device.
Leonardo may have intended the machine for theatrical performances or court entertainment rather than transportation. It was not an automobile: it had no engine, no fuel system, and only a limited stored-energy operation. The cart’s movement depended on wound springs, much like an elaborate clockwork mechanism.
Reconstructions have been made from Leonardo’s drawings, but details remain open to interpretation because the surviving sketches do not provide a complete modern engineering specification. Its historical importance lies in self-motion and automation, not road travel.