Sure we love our bicycles, but these alternative vehicles are putting a new spin on human-powered transport.
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The Aqua Skipper
For those of you who've ever wanted to walk on water, the Aqua Skipper can't quite give you the full biblical experience, but it will let you skim the sea without sinking. The key is to keep hopping. Made of fiberglass and aircraft aluminum and weighing only 26 pounds, the Aqua Skipper, invented by Shane Chen, carries 8 feet of hydrofoil wings that help to propel it forward. Each time the angled wings enter the water, they generate enough thrust to keep the Aqua Skipper's main body above the sea.
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Former bicycle-brake developer Ted Ciamillo built his biomimetic submarine (a submarine that mimics biology) to someday ride across the Atlantic Ocean. Ciamillo would pedal the 5600-pound sea vessel 6 hours at a time, but the craft would also rely upon a fin he designed to keep it going across the ocean. Named Lunocet, the carbon-fiber and fiberglass fin acts as a type of foil, meaning both its shape and the angle at which it hits the water generate forward thrust. Ciamillo's fin is designed as an exact replica of a dolphin's tail. And it's good for more than powering his sub—the monofin is popular on its own among free divers, allowing them to stay underwater longer and move faster, increasing the potential for coming face to face with sea life. The Subhuman Project has since evolved into the Sub-EX Project, in which Ciamillio plans on using closed-circuit rebreather technology (which recycles CO2 respiration to extend dive time) and a newly designed HP biomimetic sub to set a 24-hour continuous dive record. He'll be launching the project over the next few months.
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Cal Poly students spent 9 months building Gemini, their latest human-powered vehicle. The two-wheel carbon-fiber-frame bike took first place in design, and second place overall, at this year's ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge in Utah. Encased in a Kevlar composite shell that provides both aerodynamics and rider protection, Gemini also has a series of integrated solar panels used to charge its iPhone navigation system while you ride.
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At the 2010 North American Handmade Bicycle Show, New England bike-building guru Ted Wojcik impressed cyclists, DIY junkies, and environmentalists alike with his Mow-Ped. The pedal-powered lawnmower combines a tadpole-style recumbent (two front wheels and one in back) with go-kart-inspired steering and features manual reel mowers situated directly beneath the seat that can be removed for recreational use. With impending plans for large-scale production, Wojcik is updating his original design. He's shortening the tractor for sharper turns, adding the capacity for fertilizing or seed drilling, and replacing the current mower with two wider 18-inch mowers for more accurate cutting. Another upcoming upgrade: adding a standard fixed-gear rear wheel so the Mow-Ped can work in reverse.
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Constructed mostly from wire, carbon fiber, foam, and balsa wood, Snowbird is a human-powered ornithopter that took to the skies for a recond-setting 19.3 seconds in August 2010. Two University of Toronto engineering graduate students and a bevy of volunteers built Snowbird, which features a 105-foot wingspan and weighs just 94 pounds. The pilot climbs inside Snowbird's main body and begins pedaling, which generates energy through a series of pumps and pulleys to make the wings flap. The grad students behind Snowbird are now working on Atlas, their attempt to build a human-powered helicopter.
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Dublin software engineer Michael Killian wanted his bicycle's maneuvers to resemble the graceful, swooping curves of a snowboard or skateboard rather than the harder turns of skis. So he developed and patented the Sideways Bike. The single-speed bike allows riders to steer with both front and back handlebars; the independently steerable wheels let you perform tight turns and even move sideways. The rider relies on front to back balance, rather than the left to right balance of a typical bike, to maneuver the vehicle. As its name suggests, the rider sits sideways. Both seat and pedals are perpendicular to the wheels.
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The Bike Boat
Versatility is key with the 60-pound Bike Boat, a combination road and water craft that features a custom-built aluminum frame, lightweight oars, and a solid and removable fiberglass hull. Riders of the recumbent-style three-wheel bike can pedal directly onto the water and switch to the oars for propulsion. Two watertight storage units keep your phone and wallet safe and dry.
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If you yearn to hang glide but heights freak you out, check out the Street Flyer, a human-powered lightweight carbon-fiber contrivance that allows riders to fly around town. Riders harness themselves on to the retractable frame. After a jogging start, they segue into a hang-gliding position, steering with two front levers and pedaling a single wheel in back.
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