''Decavitator'' is a human-powered
hydrofoil
A hydrofoil is a lifting surface, or foil, that operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to aerofoils used by aeroplanes. Boats that use hydrofoil technology are also simply termed hydrofoils. As a hydrofoil craft gains sp ...
equipped with pedals and an
air propeller that was built by the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
. It holds the
human-powered speed record on water.
The vehicle was displayed hanging in the entry lobby of the
Museum of Science, Boston
The Museum of Science (MoS) is a science museum and indoor zoo in Boston, Massachusetts, located in Science Park, a plot of land spanning the Charles River. Along with over 700 interactive exhibits, the museum features a number of live presentat ...
until 2015. It is currently in storage at MIT.
On 27 October 1991, Mark Drela set the world-record speed with ''Decavitator'' of over a 100-meter race course on the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts. In the spring of 1993 the ''Decavitator'' team was awarded the DuPont prize for the team with the fastest speed on record as of 31 December 1992.
See also
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Human-powered hydrofoil
A human-powered hydrofoil is a small hydrofoil watercraft propelled entirely by the muscle power of its operator(s). Hydrofoils are the fastest water-based vehicles propelled solely by human power. They can reach speeds of up to ,
easily exce ...
*
Human-powered watercraft
Human-powered watercraft are watercraft propelled by human power.
The three main methods of collecting human power are directly from the hands or feet, through the hands with oars, paddles, or poles, or through the feet with pedals and a crank ...
*
Hydrocycle
A hydrocycle is a bicycle-like watercraft. The concept was known in the 1870s as a water velocipede and the name was in use by the late 1890s.
Power is collected from the rider via a crank with pedals, as on a bicycle, and delivered to the wa ...
*
List of world records in rowing
In rowing there are not world records due to the huge variability that weather conditions can have on times. Instead there are world best times, which are set over the international rowing distance of 2000 m.
On water records
Rowing times are st ...
*
Pedalo
A pedalo (British English) or paddle boat (U.S., Canadian, and Australian English) is a human-powered watercraft propelled by the action of pedals turning a paddle wheel.
Description
A pedalo is a human-powered watercraft propelled by the ...
* ''
Speed with Guy Martin''
References
Hydrofoils
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