About

Human-powered land vehicles are driven over the ground solely using human power. Bicycles, tricycles, and quadracycles are popular human-powered land vehicles, but wheelchairs, skateboards, roller-skates, and skis are also. They differ in how they are powered. Bicycles, tricycles, and quadracycles are normally powered by the rider through a drivetrain to the wheels. Human-powered vehicles are used for sport, fun, and work. They are cheaper than motorcycles and cars, while they are also good exercise and healthy.
 

Your task

Design a human-powered land vehicle, either a bicycle, a tricycle, or a quadracycle that is powered by the rider through a drivetrain to the wheels. Your human-powered land vehicle (HPLV) may be for either sport, fun, or work. It may be for a single rider, two riders, or more. Build a full-size working HPLV or a scale model of your design idea and test it. Work on this project in a team with a group of your classmates.
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The design thinking stages

Follow the five design thinking stages to ensure that you think of everything and do everything necessary in order to succeed in your design project. First, you must UNDERSTAND the design topic and the needs of the users. With that understanding, you can DECIDE what is important to your design solution and what is not so important. Then you CREATE to come up with ideas and improve them. Then you BUILD your chosen design idea in a physical form and improve it through trial-and-error. Finally, you TEST your built design idea to get the opinions of users. ​​​​​​​Use the methods from the Design Thinking for Schools website as you follow the design thinking stages.
 

​​​​​​​Note for teachers

Designing and building a full-size working human-powered land vehicle is a big task for students of Level III (12–14 years old). Building a 1 to 10 scale model, that is one-tenth the size of a real HPLV, will be much easier to do. The teacher must approve of the project before beginning. They must consider:

• Do the students have a place to build a full-size HPLV?
• Do the students have the tools and materials that you need?
• Can the students afford to build a costly working model? They will need tubes, and components such as wheels and bicycle brakes.
• Can the students get professional help for welding and other jobs?

CAUTION
The students will need professional help to build a full-size working human-powered land vehicle. Building a scale-model HPLV is safer, but care must be taken.

• Working with steel and other metals is dangerous.
• Metal edges can be sharp and dangerous, wires can poke eyes.
• Students should get professional help with cutting and welding metal parts.
• Students may only build with adult supervision.