ASME promotes human-powered vehicle competition

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ Human-Powered Vehicle Challenge will be held this spring at California Polytechnic Institute-San Luis Obispo (April 28-30) and the University of North Carolina-Charlotte (May 5-7).

Human-powered vehicles are aerodynamic, highly engineered vehicles that may be for use on land, in the water or the air. Some land-based HPVs have achieved speeds of over 60 mph. 

What is the point of designing a vehicle run by human power? After all, this is the age of computers. The point of the competition is the elegance and ingenuity of the design, including presentation, practicality and safety. All areas of engineering problem-solving are addressed – it's not as simple as it appears to design and build these vehicles. And the competition itself is great fun for the team.

The vehicles are judged on design, safety and performance. The first stage of the competition is the preparation of a comprehensive design report. The second part of the competition includes design presentation and performance events, held over a weekend where the vehicles race against one another in time trials and an endurance event.

There are three different vehicle classes – single rider, multi-person and practical. The rider (or riders) can be in upright, prone or recumbent positions. The practical vehicle emphasizes the usefulness of the vehicle for daily activities such as shopping, transportation or recreation. The practical vehicles must negotiate a slalom course with the challenge of carrying packages, going over bumps, potholes or other obstacles while stopping at signs and obeying the rules of the road. The single and tandem vehicles compete in sprint and endurance events.