Around 1495, Leonardo da Vinci designed and may have built a mechanical knight, an automaton that could sit up, wave its arms, and move its head, powered by a system of gears and pulleys. This was one of the first known humanoid robots in history, demonstrating Leonardo's mastery of mechanics and his understanding of human anatomy. The knight was intended to entertain at court and showcase the possibilities of mechanical engineering. However, it was a one-off novelty and did not lead to any practical applications, as the technology was far too advanced for its time.

Da Vinci's mechanical knight is a precursor to the modern robot, and it has captured the poetic imagination as a symbol of the 'artificial man' or the 'golem.' It appears in the literature of the Romantic era, where it is often associated with themes of creation, hubris, and the uncanny. The knight's existence challenges the boundaries between life and mechanism, a theme that is explored in the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe and in the works of later poets like Paul Valéry, who wrote about the relationship between the human body and the machine.