Human-powered transport is the transport of person(s) and/or goods (freight) using human muscle power. Unlike animal-powered transport, human-powered transport has existed since time immemorial in the form of walking, running and swimming, as well as small vehicles such as litters, rickshaws, wheelchairs and wheelbarrows. Modern technology has allowed mechanical advantage devices and machines to enhance human-power.
Although motorization has increased speed and load capacity, many forms of human-powered transport remain popular for reasons of cost, convenience, leisure, physical exercise and environmentalism. Human-powered transport is sometimes the only type available, especially in underdeveloped or inaccessible regions.
See main article: Human-powered land vehicle.
Skateboards have the advantage of being so small and light that users can easily carry them when not skating.
The most efficient and most popular human-powered land vehicle is the bicycle.[2] Compared to the much more common upright bicycle, the recumbent bicycle may be faster on level ground or down hills due to better aerodynamics while having similar power transfer efficiency.
Velomobiles are increasingly popular in colder and/or wetter countries due to the protection they offer against the environment. Cargo bikes are used to transport cargo. Cycle rickshaws can be used as taxicabs.
In 2016, AeroVelo cyclist Todd Reichert achieved the human-powered speed record of 142.04km/h with a velomobile at Battle Mountain, Nevada.[3]
Dutch cyclist Fred Rompelberg set a 268.8km/h speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah on October 3, 1995, while cycling in the wake of a motor dragster pace-car.[4] The wake of the pace-car reduced the aerodynamic drag against which Rompelberg pedalled to almost zero.[5]
Greg Kolodziejzyk set two world records recognized by both the International Human Powered Vehicle Association and Guinness (TM) World Records on July 17, 2006, on a race track in Eureka, California. The first record is for the most distance traveled in 24 hours by human power 1041km (647miles), and the second for the world's fastest 10000NaN0 time trial (23 hours, 2 minutes).[6] Both records were broken on August 6, 2010, by Christian von Ascheberg who drove 10000NaN0 in 19 hours, 27 minutes and managed to go 12190NaN0 in 24 hours with his Milan SL Velomobile. In the same race he also raised the 12-hour record to 664.970NaN0, which is an average of 55.410NaN0.[7] In 1969, artists in a small Northern California town began the Kinetic sculpture race which has grown to a 42miles, three-day all terrain, human-powered sculpture race and county wide event. It is held every year on the last weekend in May.
The Shweeb system is a proposed transit network using recumbent bicycle technology to power pods suspended from monorails. A test built in Rotorua, New Zealand is open to the public as a leisure attraction. In September 2010 the system was chosen to receive funding from Google as part of project 10100. There are no active proposals for its implementation.
See main article: Human-powered aircraft.
The Pedaliante flew short distances fully under human power in 1936, but the distances were not significant enough to win the prize of the Italian competition for which it was built. The flights were deemed to be a result of the pilot's significant strength and endurance, and not attainable by a typical human. Additional attempts were made in 1937 and 1938 using a catapult system, launching the plane to a height of 90NaN0. With the catapult launch, the plane successfully traveled the 1km (01miles) distance outlined by the competition, but was declined the prize due to the takeoff method.[8] [9] [10]
The first officially authenticated regularly feasible take-off and landing of a human-powered aircraft (one capable of powered takeoffs, unlike a glider) was made on 9 November 1961 by Derek Piggott in Southampton University's Man Powered Aircraft (SUMPAC).
Perhaps the best-known human-powered plane is the Gossamer Albatross, which flew across the English Channel in 1979.
The current distance and duration record recognized by the FAI, a straight distance of 115.11km (71.53miles)[11] in 3 hours and 54 minutes,[12] was achieved on 23 April 1988 from Heraklion on Crete to Santorini in a MIT Daedalus 88 piloted by Greek cyclist Kanellos Kanellopoulos.
The current speed record recognized by the FAI is held by Musculair 2, built by Günther Rochelt, which was flown at 44.32km/h by Holger Rochelt in 1985.[13]
See main article: Human-powered helicopter. The first officially observed human-powered helicopter to have left the ground was the Da Vinci III in 1989. It was designed and built by students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in California, USA. It flew for 7.1 seconds and reached a height of 80NaN0. The second was the Yuri I in 1994, designed and built by students at Nihon University in Japan. It flew for 19.46 seconds and reached an altitude of 200NaN0. On 13 June 2013, the AeroVelo Atlas was the first to complete a flight that lasted 64 seconds and reached an altitude of 3.3 meters, thus winning the Sikorsky Prize.
French inventors have built man-powered airships and balloons. Solar balloons and solar airships are new types of balloons and airships.[14] Because lift is supplied through buoyancy, human power can be devoted to thrust.[15] [16]
See main article: Human-powered watercraft. Human-powered watercraft include prehistoric, historic and well-known traditional and sporting craft such as canoes, rowing boats and galleys. The term human-powered boat is often used for more modern craft using propellers and water wheels for propulsion. These can be more efficient than paddles or oars and especially allow the use of the leg muscles which are generally stronger than arm muscles, even for non-athletes. Competitive rowing boats use sliding seats to engage the legs for propulsion with an oar for this reason, but require considerable skill to use efficiently. In addition, there is little skill required for forward propulsion while looking forwards and craft such as pedalos are popular at resorts.
Hydrofoils have less water resistance at the highest speeds attainable by humans and are thus usually faster than displacement boats on short courses. The world speed record on water was set 27 October 1991 by MIT professor Mark Drela who pedalled a human-powered hydrofoil, "Decavitator", to over a 100-meter course in Boston, Massachusetts, US.
In 1989, the first human-powered International Submarine Race (ISR) was held in Florida with 17 craft. Since then nine more races have been held. The races themselves have been moved from the waters of Florida to the David Taylor Model Basin at the Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and are held biennially. At the 9th ISR in 2007 (in which 23 submarines participated) several new records were set: A single-person craft, Omer5 achieved a record speed of breaking the Omer team's previous record of set by Omer 4 in 2004. Also Omer 6 snatched up a record for non-propeller driven craft with a speed of .[17]