Engineer Ratheesh M.Y. was as fond of his skateboard as he was about his motorcycle. So, along with his classmates at Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering (SJCE), he took up a college project that led them to develop a hybrid vehicle – Skatebike.
“It took us six months to come up with this exciting innovation. The Skatocross, as we want to call it, is India’s first motorised skatebike, which is an integration of a motorbike and a skateboard,” said Ratheesh, while giving reporters a demonstration of the prototype vehicle at Lalitha Mahal helipad in Mysuru on Monday.
The contraption weighing around 40 kg comprises a set of two moped-sized wheels and runs on a 70 cc two-stroke petrol engine. “It gives a riding style of a skateboard, but powered by a motorcycle engine,” Ratheesh said. The accelerator and brake functions are controlled by a hand-held control cable.
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Though his teammates, Radhini A.P., Sarvani M.P. and Ananda B., have not rode a skateboard earlier, they were found riding the skatebike with ease. “We needed only a day’s practise. Now, we can ride it comfortably,” Radhini said.
Ratheesh said his father M.S. Yoganand, a two-wheeler mechanic in J.P. Nagar, was his inspiration. “I took his guidance at each stage. I am also thankful to the fabricator Nandakumar, who helped us piece together the vehicle.”
The team, which has spent about Rs. 60,000 on developing the skatebike, has also applied for design registration with the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks.
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Endorsing the innovation, V. Ramesh, professor, Department of Industrial and Production Engineering, SJCE, said the team participated in the annual Partner for Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education (PACE) forum held in Italy last year. “Their design had been certified by PACE,” Dr. Ramesh said.
The team members, who passed out of the college earlier this year, said they are looking forward to their innovation going commercially. “Skatocross can be used for recreational purpose as well as personal mobility,” Mr. Ratheesh said.