What wheeled machine did Leonardo da Vinci design to move without an animal?

Leonardo da Vinci designed a self-propelled cart that could move without an animal.

The machine appears in drawings from the late fifteenth century and used coiled springs to store energy. As the springs unwound, a system of gears transferred motion to the wheels. Steering could be set in advance, allowing the cart to follow a predetermined path rather than being continuously guided by a driver.

The cart is sometimes called Leonardo’s automobile, but that label can mislead readers because it had no engine and was not intended for ordinary road transport. It was closer to a programmable mechanical device or theatrical machine. A reconstruction displayed at the 2006 Florence exhibition showed that the basic mechanism could work, although details of the original design remain open to interpretation. The cart is significant because it combines stored mechanical energy, transmission, and pre-set movement in a compact Renaissance design.