Recent sightings: Human Powered Vehicle Challenge

April 29, 2008

Photos: Jeff Miller

UW-Madison’s human powered vehicle team competed against teams from around the country at Sauk Prairie Airport on April 26 as pat of the 25th annual American Society of Mechanical Engineers Human Powered Vehicle Challenge (HPVC).

The UW-Madison team competed in the 10-kilometer utility race, which included obstacles and a grocery delivery task. While most of the HPVC vehicle designs were leg-powered, the Wisconsin vehicle was uniquely powered by the up- and down-stroke of the driver's hands and arms pumping a drive train lever. In the end, many of the competitors struggled to overcome the force of the day’s high winds, and the Wisconsin vehicle’s drive-train pulley system ultimately failed.

Photo from Human-Powrered Vehicle competition

Photo from Human-Powrered Vehicle competition

Photo from Human-Powrered Vehicle competition

Photo from Human-Powrered Vehicle competition

Photo from Human-Powrered Vehicle competition