Human-powered transport is the transport of person(s) and/or goods using human muscle

power. Like animal-powered transport, human-powered transport has existed since time
immemorial in the form of walking, running and swimming. Modern technology has allowed
machines to enhance human-power.

Although motorization has increased speed and load capacity, many forms of human-powered
transport remain popular for reasons of lower cost, leisure, physical exercise and
environmentalism. Human-powered transport is sometimes the only type available, especially in
underdeveloped or inaccessible regions.

In the 1989 Race Across America, one team (Team Strawberry)[1] used an experimental device
comprising a rear wheel hub, a sensor, and a handlebar mounted processor, to measure each
cyclist's power output.

In lab experiments an average "in-shape" cyclist can produce about 3 watts/kg for more than an
hour (e.g., around 200 watts for a 70 kg (154 lb) rider), with top amateurs producing 5 watts/kg
and elite athletes achieving 6 watts/kg for similar lengths of time. Elite track sprint cyclists are
able to attain an instantaneous maximum output of around 2,000 watts, or in excess of 25
watts/kg; elite road cyclists may produce 1,600 to 1,700 watts as an instantaneous maximum in
their burst to the finish line at the end of a five-hour-long road race.

Non-vehicular[edit]

Crawling (human)
Walking (240 watts)[citation needed]
Running (1,000 watts)[citation needed]
Sprinting (1,700 watts at 25 km/h (16 mph))[2]
Swimming
Climbing and mountaineering
Ice skating, roller skating, and inline skating
Cross-country skiing)

Human-powered vehicles (HPVs)[edit]

Skateboards are propelled by pushing (one foot riding on board, one foot pushing on ground) or by
gravity
Trikkes by shifting the rider's body weight

Land vehicles[edit]
Main article: Human-powered land vehicle

Bicycles are the most efficient type of human-powered vehicle

Surrey style rental quadracycle built by the International Surrey Company

Skateboards have the advantage of being so small and light that users can easily carry them when
not skating.
The most efficient human-powered land vehicle is the bicycle.[3] 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.[citation needed]

Velomobiles are increasingly popular in colder and/or wetter countries[citation needed] due to the
protection they offer against the environment.[citation needed] Freight bicycles 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
142.04 km/h (88.26 mph) with a velomobile at Battle Mountain, Nevada.[4]

Dutch cyclist Fred Rompelberg set a 268.8 km/h (167.0 mph) speed record at the Bonneville Salt
Flats in Utah on October 3, 1995 while cycling in the wake of a motor dragster pace-car.[5] The
wake of the pace-car reduced the aerodynamic drag against which Rompelberg pedalled to
almost zero.[6]

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
1,041 km (647 mi), and the second for the worlds fastest 1,000 km (621 mi) time trial (23 hours,
2 minutes).[7] Both records were broken on August 6, 2010 by Christian von Ascheberg who
drove 1,000 km (621 mi) in 19 hours, 27 minutes and managed to go 1,219 km (757 mi) in 24
hours with his Milan SL Velomobile. In the same race he also raised the 12-hour record to
664.97 km (413 mi), which is an average of 55.41 km/h (34 mph). [8]

In 1969, artists in a small Northern California town began the Kinetic sculpture race which has
grown to a 42 mi (68 km), three-day all terrain, human-powered sculpture race and county wide
event. It is held every year on the last weekend in May.

Aircraft[edit]
Main article: Human-powered aircraft

Fixed wing[edit]

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 9 m (30 ft). With the catapult launch, the plane successfully
traveled the 1 km (0.62 mi) distance outlined by the competition, but was declined the prize due
to the takeoff method.[9][10][11]

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 recognised by the FAI, a straight distance of 115.11 km
(71.53 mi) in 3 hours and 54 minutes, was achieved on 23 April 1988 from Heraklion on Crete to
Santorini in a MIT Daedalus 88 piloted by Kanellos Kanellopoulos.[citation needed]

The current speed record is held by the Monarch B, built by a team at MIT in 1983, which won a
Kremer Prize of 20,000 for sustaining a speed of over 30 km/h (19 mph) over a 1.5 km (1 mi)
triangular course.[citation needed]

Helicopters[edit]
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 8 in (20 cm). 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 20 cm (8 in). 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.

Airships and balloons[edit]

French inventors have built man-powered airships and balloons. Solar balloons and solar airships
are new types of balloons and airships.[12] Because lift is supplied through buoyancy, human
power can be devoted to thrust.[13][14]

Watercraft[edit]
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. In addition, there is little skill required for forward
propulsion while looking forwards and craft such as pedalos are popular at resorts.

Hydrofoils[edit]

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 18.5 knots (21.3 mph)(9.53 meters/second) over a 100-meter course in Boston,
Massachusetts, US.
Submarines[edit]

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 8.035 knots breaking the Omer team's previous record of 7.19
knots set by Omer 4 in 2004. Also Omer 6 snatched up a record for non-propeller driven craft
with a speed of 4.642 knots.[15]