Students Design Kayaks for Boaters Who Can’t Use Their Arms
Contact: Herbert Crosby, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering Technology, 207-581-2134; Nick Houtman, Dept. of Public Affairs and Marketing, 207-581-3777
ORONO– Paddling a kayak can be tricky enough, but try it without using your arms. For a senior design course, five teams of University of Maine engineering students are demonstrating their skills by developing kayaks for people who cannot use their arms.
The students will show off their designs in a competition on the Stillwater River at 9:30 a.m. on Maine Day, April 27. The public is welcome to attend.
The student teams are working under the guidance of Professor of Mechanical Engineering Technology Herbert Crosby. They have received assistance from Michael Noyes, a Levant man born without arms, and Sean Harper of Brewer. They have worked closely with the students on human factors related to the drive systems.
Old Town Canoe and Stillwater Recumbents donated kayaks and bicycling equipment respectively.
The students have been testing their prototypes in the Wallace pool at UMaine since late March. Every approach is different, says Crosby. “It’s amazing how much improvement the students have made on their designs since they began. One team watched videos of fish movements and designed a fin that sweeps through the water. Another one uses a propeller.”
The competition will begin at 9 a.m. at the Machine Tool Lab with an evaluation of overall design by a team of judges. At 9:30, the teams head for the Stillwater River where they will perform tests of speed, maneuverability, stability and endurance. The competition will conclude by noon.