What wheeled invention did Leonardo da Vinci design to move without being pushed by a person or animal?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a self-propelled cart that could move without being pushed by a person or animal.

The machine appears in drawings made around 1478 to 1480. It used coiled springs as a source of stored mechanical energy. When released, the springs turned the cart’s wheels through a system of gears. A steering mechanism allowed the vehicle to follow a predetermined path.

Because the springs had limited energy, the cart was not a practical long-distance automobile. Its likely purpose was theatrical or ceremonial, perhaps for use in court entertainments. The surviving drawings do not provide every detail needed for a single certain reconstruction, so modern models differ in their interpretation.

The cart is important because it demonstrates Leonardo’s interest in converting stored energy into controlled motion. It is sometimes called a robot car, but it had no autonomous intelligence in the modern sense. It was a mechanically programmed vehicle rather than a motorcar.