Human Powered Vehicles

Description

Explains the history of human powered vehicles (HPVs), offers practical insights into their design, and considers future possibilities of human-powered travel. The book reviews the development of human-powered water, land and air vehicles, focusing on recent improvements in performance. The first part of the book describes early applications of human power to machines, giving examples of every major type of mechanism used to harness human power. It also explains relevant exercise physiology and biomechanical principles as they relate to the human engine. The next three parts of the book are devoted to human-powered watercraft, land vehicles, and aircraft. The information in these chapters may be of use to planners and builders in designing the next generation of human-powered vehicles. The final part considers the future of human-powered vehicles, the economic and environmental advantages of human-powered travel, and the possibility of HPVs becoming widely used in industrialized nations.