Pop-Sci Core77 Design Challenge/ Description HUMAN POWERED 10/20/03

Description of Design

“The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors,” observed Wilbur Wright. Perhaps hinting at those primordial creatures who first slipped from the water, himself at the brink of transition from land to air, Wright points out a central theme in the story of humanity: the drive to expand our experience of the world. Now, a century after those two brothers opened an exciting new chapter in our story, we celebrate the power of human imagination with a human-powered device that connects all three elements . . . and that lets us have almost too much fun in the process! The BounceFly pneumatic diving board. Step onto the BounceFly’s trampoline platform and start hopping. At each landing, the force of your impact powers a small piston that compresses air into the storage cylinder. With each jump, you drive the pressure higher . . . and higher . . . and higher. Again and again, the BounceFly’s lively trampoline sends you smoothly into the air until finally, with a satisfying “whoosh”, the relief valve confirms you’ve reached maximum pressure. One last bounce, leaning forward slightly to aim for the new target, and a knot of nervous excitement forms in your stomach. Your feet make solid contact with the launch platform, bending it in the familiar manner of a diving board. But at the bottom of the bend, the BounceFly releases its compressed air in an explosive push that sends you flying — much higher than you could have otherwise achieved. As you soar over the water, an unexpected yell escapes your lips: “Wooooooooo-yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Splash. Ideal for the dock at your cottage, for public waterparks, or for any large pool, the BounceFly is easily installed in place of traditional diving boards. Kids will relish this friendly and fun toy; adults will amaze with the air-time they achieve; and high divers will delight to the thrill of finally enjoying the trip up as much as the trip down. Once, in a metaphor for human experience, William Blake wrote, “No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings.” Well said! Blake would surely groove to the BounceFly.