Leonardo da Vinci’s pyramid-shaped parachute design was intended to let a person descend safely through the air.
Leonardo sketched the design around 1485 in the Codex Atlanticus. It consisted of a rigid, pyramid-shaped wooden frame covered with linen cloth. His notes estimated that a structure about 7.2 metres high and 7.2 metres wide could support a person during a descent.
Leonardo did not build or test the device, so it was a theoretical design rather than a demonstrated invention. Its concept differs from the modern parachute, which normally uses a flexible canopy that opens and creates drag.
In 2000, British skydiver Adrian Nichols constructed a version based on Leonardo’s measurements and tested it from a hot-air balloon. The replica descended successfully, although Nichols used a modern parachute for the final landing because the wooden frame could be dangerous near the ground.