Contacts: Missy Corley, 301.405.6501 or mcorley@umd.edu
University of Maryland Student Engineers to Test Human-Powered Helicopter
WHAT: In a step toward winning the Sikorsky Prize, a team of A. James Clark School of Engineering students will attempt for the first time to test-fly their human-powered helicopter, called Gamera. Gamera has a rotor at each of the four ends of its X-shaped frame, with the pilot's module suspended at the middle. Each crossbar of the frame is 60 feet long, and each rotor is 42 feet in diameter. Through the use of balsa, foam, mylar, carbon fiber and other lightweight materials, the entire vehicle weighs only 210 pounds, including the student pilot. All power comes from a combination of hand and foot pedaling. If Gamera makes it off the ground, the team has the potential to capture a world record for human-powered helicopter flight with a female pilot on board.
WHO: A team of more than 50 graduate and undergraduate students led by faculty advisors V.T. Nagaraj, Inderjit Chopra and Darryll Pines (dean of the Clark School). The pilot for the tests is University of Maryland life sciences graduate student Judy Wexler. The Alfred Gessow Rotorcraft Center in the Clark School is one of the nation's top rotorcraft research institutions.
WHEN: Reporters and photographers are invited to watch the team test the vehicle between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Wednesday, May 11.
Read More...http://www.newsdesk.umd.edu/bigissues/release.cfm?ArticleID=2424
UMD Gamera Human Powered Helicopter Promo
Video Link....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT4y4xb2UYI
Gamera Human Powered Helicopter Setup for May11th Flight
Video link...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef9kqkpXI_k
Streaming link for live event: http://lecture.umd.edu/detsmediasite/Viewer/?peid=dae7b8b...
Press Release: http://www.eng.umd.edu/html/media/release.php?id=104
Facts Sheet: http://www.eng.umd.edu/html/media/images/HPHHandout.pdf
Promo Video: http://youtu.be/uT4y4xb2UYI
Thanks TONS to Andrew Aversa (aka zircon) for the use of his mindbendingly awesome music. The song is Mindbender from his 2007 CD Antigravity. Check him out at zirconmusic.com.
TeamGameraHPH's Channel
http://youtu.be/Ef9kqkpXI_k
- UMD Gamera Human Powered Helicopter
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- University of Maryland Student Engineers to Test Human-Powered Helicopter :: University Communications Newsdesk, University of Maryland
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- Sikorsky Prize - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- YouTube - UMD Gamera Human Powered Helicopter Promo
- YouTube - Gamera first flight
- YouTube - TeamGameraHPH's Channel
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