The mechanics of self-propelled wagons from Francesco di Giorgio

During the Renaissance, the idea of a complex mechanical system capable of moving on its own, a forerunner idea of our modern automobile, found its first designs and exploratory conceptualization. In particular, it will be one of the so-called "Sienese engineers", Francesco di Giorgio, the first to systematically explore the mechanics of self-propelled wagons as part of his studies of machines which will later become part of the Treaty of Architecture. Francesco di Giorgio's self-propelled machines still lack an engine and are set in motion by human power, but their mechanics are already highly sophisticated and ahead of their time. Thanks to the various manuscripts that have been preserved, his legacy in this area is still entirely available and facilitates the understanding of the development of the projects and the attempt to design machines for practical uses as well as the theoretical approach to engineering during the Renaissance.