Leonardo da Vinci (born 1452, died 1519) was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant men of the Renaissance and is widely considered one of the most talented people in history. He was not only an extremely talented artist, the author of such masterpieces as The Lady with the Ermine and The Last Supper, but also an extremely prolific inventor and innovator. One of Leonardo's most avant-garde projects was a self-propelled carriage, which is sometimes considered a very distant ancestor of modern cars. The project involved the use of two symmetrical springs in this vehicle, one of which would set the device in motion, and the other would be a kind of "lifeline" in case of damage to the first. At the same time, Leonardo da Vinci suggested the use of a balance wheel, known at that time from clockwork, to give the entire mechanism the desired balance and stability of operation. Some researchers are looking for a mechanism similar to a differential (d-shaped differential) in this vehicle.
