Leonardo's robot refers to a humanoid automaton designed by Leonardo da Vinci around the year 1495. It is considered the first known design for a robot.
The design notes for the robot appear in sketchbooks that were rediscovered in the 1950s. It is not known whether or not an attempt was made to build the device.
The robot is a knight, clad in German-Italian medieval armor, that is apparently able to make several human-like motions. These motions included sitting up, moving its arms, neck, and an anatomically correct jaw. It is partially the fruit of Leonardo's anatomical research in the Canon of Proportions as described in the Vitruvian Man.
The first known construction of an automaton was in 1738, by the French engineer Jacques Vaucanson.
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