Media Platforms Design TeamMIT student Damon Vander Lind wheels his human-powered, propeller-driven 300-rpm tricycle out for a test drive.The SilencerReader: Damon Vander LindMaterials: $500Time: Three weeksResult: Human-powered, 20-mph cruising.* See Propeller Trike Runners Up* Submit Your Own DIY Project"I spend a month a year working on a commercial fishing boat with a loud diesel engine, and the greatest sound in the world is to hear it turn off," says Damon Vander Lind, the creator of a soothingly quiet trike driven by a 7-ft., pedal-powered propeller. Vander Lind and some fellow MIT students combined aircraft-supply chromemoly tubing and salvaged bike parts into a recumbent trike. The propeller is similar to one Vander Lind made for a wind turbine to power a friend’s yurt: He hot-wire-cut pink foam, coated it with fiberglass – and then added LED lights so the blades display colored patterns as they turn.
