Missouri University of Science and Technology’s Human Powered Vehicle Team earned third place at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 2014 Human Powered Vehicle Challenge West Coast Competition, held April 25-27 in San Jose, Calif.

The competition challenged students to design, build and operate a human-powered vehicle for practical use. Missouri S&T’s vehicle, named “Banshee,” featured a carbon fiber fairing, the aerodynamic shell around the vehicle, on a recumbent trike, with two wheels in the front and one in the back. Touchscreen equipment was built into the handlebars to control the vehicle’s lights, horn and turn signals.

Teams were scored on their engineering solutions through a written report and technical presentation about their vehicles. Missouri S&T earned third place in the innovation category during the design portion of the competition.

The actual racing was split into three sections. The first day of racing featured the men’s and women’s speed events, in which teams sprinted head-to-head over a short distance. On the second day of racing, teams competed in an endurance event, completing as many laps as possible during a span of several hours. Missouri S&T earned third in the women’s speed and second in the men’s speed events, earning the team third overall at the competition.

The team placed fifth at the Human Powered Vehicle Challenge East Coast Competition, held April 11-13 at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla.

Dr. Daniel Stutts, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Missouri S&T, is the Human Powered Vehicle Team faculty advisor. For more information about the event, visit asme.org.