What wheeled machine did Leonardo da Vinci design to move without being pushed by animals?

Leonardo da Vinci’s wheeled machine designed to move without animal power was a self-propelled cart.

Leonardo sketched the cart around 1478–1480. Springs stored energy and released it through a system of gears, allowing the vehicle to travel for a limited distance. A steering mechanism could be set in advance, so the cart followed a predetermined route rather than being driven continuously by a person.

The cart is often described as an early robot or the ancestor of the automobile, but both comparisons need care. It had no engine, and its spring-powered movement was more like a wind-up mechanism. The original drawing also leaves important construction details uncertain. In 2006, a team in Florence built a working replica based on Leonardo’s surviving plans, demonstrating that the concept could move when interpreted with modern reconstruction methods. Its historical significance is the combination of stored mechanical energy, gearing, and programmable steering.