What wheeled automaton did Leonardo da Vinci design to move without a person pushing it?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a self-propelled cart, a wheeled automaton powered by wound springs.

The cart appears in drawings from around 1478 to 1480. Its concealed springs drove the wheels through mechanical gearing, while adjustable components could control the distance and direction of travel. The design is often described as an early programmable machine because its movement could be set before release.

Leonardo may have intended the cart for theatrical performances or court entertainments rather than transportation. Its mechanism was never a motor vehicle in the modern sense: it carried no combustion engine, and its stored spring energy was limited.

A full-scale reconstruction was built and demonstrated in the early 21st century, showing that the surviving drawings contain enough information for a workable interpretation. The cart is sometimes confused with Leonardo’s robotic knight, which was a human-shaped automaton driven by cables and pulleys.