Never ones to rest on their laurels, the team at Bendigo Senior Secondary College are setting out to do something a little crazy: build a human powered vehicle in one day.
The best part: you’re invited to watch them do it.
Construction will start at 9am on the Friday the 23rd of November at this year’s Energy Breakthrough. The team is then scheduled for Display & Presentation at 5pm, Scrutineering at 5:30pm and will then take to the track at 7pm for the night practice session.
Their entry is the aptly titled ‘DIY’ and they will compete in the HPV Secondary Open category.
I recently caught up with their Team Manager, Daryl King and students Chris Hamilton and Tyler Hamilton to learn more about their unique challenge:
Some teams take a whole year to construct a vehicle, why are you doing this in one day?
Daryl: This may sound crazy, and it probably is, however the idea is for some of the other teams (teachers, principals, parents, sponsors and schools) to see the vehicle under construction. This would also provide an opportunity for anyone to talk to the students from Bendigo. Hopefully this will dissolve any fears they may have to take on a build of their own too.
We would like to see students leaving this year’s event knowing they have an opportunity to extend themselves further and race something that they have actually designed and constructed as a team.
Chris and Tyler: We’d like to show other teams that it’s not impossibly hard to build your own vehicle. We believe that’s what this event is all about: showing initiative and having a go. It’s a good feeling putting so much work into building a vehicle and then being able to race it and have fun doing it as well.
- Above: These collection of tubes will form a vehicle on November 23rd: some have been pre-bent and specific parts pre-cut to help things along. Bendigo Senior’s students have swapped carbon fibre for chro-moly when they come to building a vehicle in one day at this year’s event.
When did you come up with this idea?
Chris and Tyler: It was a suggestion at the start of the year and we started to plan it half way through the year.
What preparation have you done?
Chris and Tyler: We’ve built a prototype that took several days to figure out what we could change on it. But with eight people working together and doing their own part, we will get it done in the eight hours.
Above: Bendigo Senior’s prototype vehicle has helped them iron out a few bugs.
What do you think you will learn through this project?
Chris and Tyler: How to work well with other people in a confined space and under pressure to get a project finished on time.
How can others get involved and what extra information will be available?
Chris and Tyler: Anyone is welcome to watch us build this vehicle at the event and we will be filming the whole process for a video later on.
Daryl: Additional information around suggested suppliers, materials and basic costing for this vehicle will also be provided to reinforce not only the educational benefits of student centred design and construction, but the financial benefit also.
Finally, we have come to expect so much from Bendigo Senior in the past. Do you expect the finished product to be competitive?
Chris and Tyler: Yes we do, we are going for the win to prove this can be done and let people know that they don’t have to buy a human powered vehicle to be any good for the race.
Bendigo Senior’s One Day Build Project will be in marquee near the entry to Scrutineering, alongside the Energy Expo area:
Wow! What an exciting thing to have this year! Will try and come over for a look.
What a fantastic challenge you have set yourselves! I look forward to seeing you in action.
What an awesome challenge…and to think you then went on to do the most laps…well done, you should be really proud!!