Our purpose, as the Human Powered Vehicle Team of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, is to design and create an aesthetically unique vehicle that focuses on ergonomics, the team members' safety, and the ability to succeed in all aspects of competition. The team provides students an opportunity to learn, design, manufacture, and ride a human powered vehicle. Students will also learn teaming and leadership skills needed in industry. We work closely with other teams on campus to share valuable information in the learning process. As a team we promote SDSM&T and engineering by taking part in campus and community activities.

Our main focus is in getting to the national competition held every year. The team has performed well in the past and strives to continue this tradition of performance. We also focus on our members as we build on our strengths and work to minimize weaknesses to develop a quality product and great team.

Through the years, transportation has been a significant engineering and technological challenge. Methods of transportation have greatly relied upon the petroleum industry as a main source of energy. As natural resources diminish, other forms of energy for transportation will need to be found. Human power is just one of the alternative forms of energy that is being experimented with today.

Our focus is to attack the old saying of “getting from point A to point B” by using human power. From rowboats to the common bicycle, human powered vehicles (HPV's) have been around for hundreds of years. However, due to a variety of factors, human power as energy is often limited to recreation rather than a primary source of transportation.

Today, muscle power is not limited to traditional bicycles and rowboats. Human power is being applied to all types of transportation including airplanes and submarines, as well as high-speed land vehicles. Because of the extremely low power available when using the human body as an engine, it becomes a very challenging problem to successfully design and build efficient machines.

Team Meeting:  Wednesdays 3:00, CB 206W

Team Website   |   Competition Website