No, I don’t mean human papilloma virus.  Human-powered vehicles.

From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, American and European engineering schools buzzed with activity in self-powered craft. Most famously, a pedal-powered airplane crossed the English Channel.

MIT was at the center of this movement, instrumental in the world’s fastest self-powered vehicles on both land and sea.

Their 1987 land record, which still stands as the fastest non-recumbent bicycle, was set on a 1987 Moulton AM7 with MIT-designed fairing, achieving over 51 mph over level ground.  I’ll write on this in more detail soon, as I happen to own that exact model of bike:  a 1987 Moulton AM7 (with my slower legs and Caltech-designed partial fairing, mine tops out at under 30mph). Recumbent bikes are faster, and new records continue to be set, such as this one in 2008, at over 80mph.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMUNOLwW0io&hl=en&fs=1]

MIT’s sea record was set on the Decavitator, a pedal-powered hydrofoil that achieved 18.5 mph in 1991.  To the best of my knowledge, this record is unbroken by any human-powered boat.  This history of human-powered hydrofoils displays recent 100-meter race times in the 14mph range.

Here is the Decavitator in action, back in 1991.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2UOH65QOI4&hl=en&fs=1]

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