Bhubaneswar, June 2: A group of engineering students here have developed a motorcycle that can be driven both forwards and backwards.
Named Avatar, the two-wheeler is the creation of final-year mechanical students of NM Institute of Engineering and Technology at Dumduma in Bhubaneswar. It took the group of 15 students six months to build the motorcycle.
The idea occurred to them when the friends faced parking problems.
"We were on a trip and had parked our motorcycles in the stand. But we were unable to take them out because there was no space on either side. That was when the idea struck," said Anupam Tiwari, a member of the group.
They discussed the idea with their head of the department and began work.
The motorcycle has basic features on either sides, including accelerator, clutch and fuel tank.
"We thought a motorcycle with dual driving facilities would be helpful while parking and for service delivery. Also, it's fun," said Tiwari.
A trial run of the motorcycle was held in the city yesterday.
The 100cc bike boasts a mileage of 45km to a litre and has a maximum speed of 50kmph.
"Initially we were apprehensive about whether the idea would work. We faced a lot of difficulties. A number of times the parts would not fit or at times our assumptions would turn out to be wrong. We had to repeat some processes over and over to get it right," said Tiwari.
But they also enjoyed the entire process.
"We ended up fighting with each other at times but when things worked out we cheered. We had a lot of fun," said Ashtuosh Kumar, another member of the team.
The team has already filed a patent application for their invention. "Once it is granted, we will take it to various bike manufacturing companies and other organisations," said Kumar.
The college authorities have promised to provide support to the bunch of bright students.
"They are upgrading the motorcycle to make it better. We are providing all necessary resources to them," said Sumitra Tripathy, public relations head of the Dumduma-based engineering college.
