Pumpabike: Human Powered Hydrofoil

As a kid I saw a diagram of a human-powered hydrofoil and since then, I’ve always considered it a mythical creature lurking somewhere just out of reach… the wait is over.

Once you’ve left shore, you need to start bouncing frantically. The knack, however, is rhythm rather than power: if you lose your rhythm, you dive underwater faster than a German U-Boat dodging the RAF. Link

10 thoughts on “Pumpabike: Human Powered Hydrofoil

  1. mechanisma22 says:

    HOw exactly does it work? It must bend enough to make the hydrofoil fins to act like a fin of a fish.

  2. SonicReducer says:

    it looks like the frame flexes when you push down so the fins change deflection, like one of those scooters you swerve left and right to move forward, but rotated 90 degrees so its up and down instead of left and right

  3. JavaMoose says:

    Be a wicked way to stay in shape, looks like it is a hard workout to stay afloat!

  4. markayak says:

    A remarkably similar flapping-foil human-powered hydrofoil device was manufactured by a Scandanavian company nearly a decade ago as the Trampofoil. They stopped making them several years back. Now this year the “Pumpabike” has been popping up in SkyMall and Sharper Image catalogs. You think they would at least add enough bouyancy to keep the thing from sinking like a stone when you stop jumping.

  5. Juan_Speeder says:

    IMO, this is way better:

    http://www.foilkayak.com

    An old man of 50ish ;) ,although a former world class rower, beat the 500m world record in one.

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