What was Leonardo da Vinci’s wheeled machine, often described as an early automobile?

Leonardo da Vinci’s wheeled machine was the self-propelled cart.

Leonardo designed a compact three-wheeled vehicle powered by coiled springs. The springs were wound before operation and released energy through a system of gears, allowing the cart to move without a person pushing it. Two large rear wheels supported the body, while a smaller front wheel provided steering.

The cart is sometimes called the first robot or an early automobile, but those labels need qualification. It was not powered by an internal-combustion engine, and Leonardo’s surviving drawing does not reveal every construction detail. The vehicle may have been intended for theatrical effects or court spectacles rather than transportation.

A reconstruction demonstrated that the design can move when built with suitable interpretations of the mechanism. Its importance is the use of stored mechanical energy and programmable steering features in a vehicle centuries before motor cars became common.