University of Toronto Human Powered Vehicle: Difference between revisions

The University of Toronto Human Powered Vehicle Design Team (HPVDT) is a design team focused around designing and building vehicles solely propelled by human power. The team's past and current projects include an ornithopter, a helicopter, an airplane, a submarine, as well as numerous land vehicles.

During the summer of 2008 a group of graduate students founded the club to design and build an ornithopter (wing-flapping aircraft) that used human power alone. The project was headed by Todd Reichert (NΨ 0T4 + Film) and Cameron Robertson (NΨ 0T8). The ornithopter was successfully completed and made a record setting flight as the first human powered ornithopter.

[[File:HPO - dawnflight.jpg|1000px|The human-powered ornithopter during an early-morning test flight]]

No vehicle was successfully built except for a carbon fibre frame which went on to become a training vehicle.

[[File:Ace.jpg|500px|The ACE speedbike]]

Taking what they learned in previous years, Vortex was built. Vortex was superior to ACE in many ways: it boasted superior aerodynamics, simpler front wheel fairing, a removable drive-train mechanism and used a door rather than a split dividing the top from the bottom. It was also much smaller with a length of approximately 7 ft.

[[File:Vortex.jpg|500px|The Vortex speedbike]]

HPVDT significantly redesigned all aspects of the design  for the next iteration of speedbike. Led by co-captains Trefor Evans (NΨ 1T3) and Aidan Muller (MSE 1T3), the team proceeded to manufacture the Bluenose vehicle. This design boasted much-improved aerodynamics, highly-durable construction, revised steering geometry, and a new landing gear system.

[[File:Bluenose2012.JPG|500px]]

Knowing that Bluenose could be greatly improved for future high-speed events, the team decided to take a different approach for the more utility-oriented ASME event. A faired tricycle was designed, using many of the same structural features as the previous two-wheeled vehicles. This new vehicle - dubbed Celero - was slower, but far more stable and reliable than the team's previous entries.

[[File:Celero.jpg|500px|The Celero trike at ASME HPVC 2013]]  [[File:Bluenose.jpg|500px|Bluenose running with camera vision system at WHPSC 2013]]

HPVDT built a leaning tricycle for the ASME HPVC event. It performed well in the Innovation and Speed events, but was mediocre in Design and Endurance. The team finished 7th overall.

[[File:Valkyrie.jpg|500px|the Valkyrie leaning tricycle at ASME HPVC 2014]]  [[File:etaCatch.jpg|500px|The Eta speedbike at WHPSC 2014]]

Again working towards a more practical vehicle design, the team came up with a partially-faired lowracer - a recumbent bike with very little frontal area. The design included several novel features, including an ill-fated carbon leaf spring suspension system.

[[File:Viteza.jpg|500px|Viteza at ASME HPVC 2015]]  [[File:Eta Prime Outer Shell.JPG|500px]] [[File:CM4_2.JPG|500px| Axios submarine rendering during the early design phase]]

While continuing work on Axios and Eta Prime, HPVDT designed an improved version of Vortex called Cyclone. Cyclone features a more sophisticated drivetrain structure, retractable landing gear for low speed stability, and improved composites techniques, resulting in a lighter vehicle. The vehicle was not completed in time for ASME 2016, but was completed and raced at the Northbrook Velodrome in July of that year. The vehicle suffered from poor drivetrain reliability and insufficiently stiff landing legs.

Through the summer, work on Eta prime was completed and the team raced it for the first time at WHPSC 2016. At the same event, former team founder Todd Reichert set a new absolute world record of 144.17 km/h (89.59 mi/h) in Eta.  

Evan Bennewies and Alan Pettit led the ASME project to build another iteration of Vortex called Tempest. It refines the concept of Cyclone explored the previous year, featuring reinforced landing legs, a quick release drivetrain assembly, and compatibility with the very fast Michelin blue eco-marathon tires. The vehicle competed at ASME HPVC 2016, and was thereafter used at HPRA races and for training new riders. Though the vehicle improved upon the reliability of Cyclone, it never reached the same consistency as Vortex.  

The team refines Eta prime over the summer and gets it in good working order while Calvin familiarizes himself with its handling. The team also restores Bluenose and sends both vehicles to Battle Moutain. At WHPSC 2017, Calvin reaches a maximum speed of 127.62 km/h (79.30 mi/h), the highest speed of the competition. Most of the other team members in attendance also each attain personal bests.  

The team pursues a fully faired recumbent tricycle with external wheel pods called Arbiter for ASME under project director Bruce Hu. The design features a tadpole configuration with two external front wheels with co-moving wheel fairings, steered by a four bar linkage.  For the first time in team history, the vehicle is test ridden before the competition. Unfortunately, the vehicle suffered a mechanical malfunction in the right steering rod during the first heat of the Women's drag event and the damage prevents the team from competing in either drag event. However the team works through the night and the vehicle is once again functional the next morning and finishes the endurance event in 4th place.  

In May, Calvin resigns as captain and Bill Kong replaces him. For World Speed Challenge the team sends Eta Prime and Bluenose again where Calvin finally earns his long awaited 80 mph hat and finishes the competition in second place overall.  

For ASME, the team builds the partially faired upright bike Zephyr. The design features front and rear fairings inline with the rider's torso, significant use of prepreg carbon, streamlined frame, and wheel sections, and a wide range of positional adjustment. The vehicle was again tested and ride-logged before the competition and performed smoothly throughout the event. Zephyr took first place in both Men's and Women's drag events and dominated the Endurance event, lapping the second-place vehicle seven times.  

Calvin starts a new project for a two-seater speedbike, Titan. The design is similar in many ways to a scaled-up Eta prime. The vehicle is not quite finished in time to leave for WHPSC, but the team brings it along and continues to work on it when they arrive in Battle Mountain. On Friday night, September 13th, 2019, Calvin and Evan push Titan to 120.27 km/h (74.73 mi/h) and set a new world tandem record.

For the 2019-2020 year, HPVDT will build a vehicle to compete at both ASME 2020 and WHPSC 2020 under multitrack. Several vehicle configurations are currently being considered including a diamond-configuration quadcycle and a delta tricycle.  

Titan will receive upgraded electronics, mechanical enhancements, and aerodynamic fairing before returning to WHPSC 2020.

==External links==