What was the name of Leonardo da Vinci’s four-wheeled vehicle powered by springs?

Leonardo da Vinci’s four-wheeled spring-powered vehicle is known as the self-propelled cart.

Leonardo designed the cart around 1478 to 1480. Unlike a normal wagon pulled by animals, it was intended to move using coiled springs mounted inside its body. Steering could be set in advance, allowing the vehicle to follow a predetermined route.

The cart is sometimes called the world’s first robot or an early automobile, but both labels require care. It had no engine, no steering wheel, and no ability to choose its own route. Its programmed movement is why it is also discussed as an early automaton.

The original machine has not survived, so modern reconstructions rely on Leonardo’s drawings and notes. In 2006, a working reconstruction was displayed at the Institute and Museum of the History of Science in Florence, now called the Museo Galileo.