Which Leonardo da Vinci invention could move without being pushed or pulled by an external animal?

Leonardo da Vinci’s self-propelled cart could move without being pushed or pulled by an external animal.

Leonardo designed the cart around 1478–1480. It used coiled springs, similar in principle to those found in clock mechanisms, to store energy. The springs drove the wheels through a system of gears, while a steering mechanism controlled the cart’s direction.

The cart was probably intended for theatrical performances or ceremonial displays rather than practical transport. Its compact mechanism could make the vehicle travel a preset distance, and modern reconstructions have shown that the basic concept is mechanically plausible.

The cart is sometimes described as the world’s first automobile, but that label needs care. It was not powered by an engine and could not travel like a modern car. It is better understood as an early spring-powered autonomous vehicle, built around stored mechanical energy and programmed movement.