Human power is work or energy that is produced from the human body. It can also refer to the power (rate of work per time) of a human. Power comes primarily from muscles, but body heat is also used to do work like warming shelters, food, or other humans.
World records of power performance by humans are of interest to work planners and work-process engineers. The average level of human power that can be maintained over a certain duration of time, say over the extent of one minute or one hour is interesting to engineers designing work operations in industry. Human power is sometimes used to generate electricity that is stored.
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Several forms of transport utilize human power. They include the bicycle, wheelchair, walking, skateboard, wheelbarrow, rowing, skis, and rickshaw. Some forms may utilize more than one person. The historical galley was propelled by freemen or citizens in ancient times, and by slaves captured by pirates in more recent times.
For much of history, human power has been insufficient for steady flight. The Gossamer Condor was the first human-powered aircraft capable of controlled and sustained flight, making its first flight in 1977. Since 1988, Daedalus holds the records for longest distance and duration for human-powered aircraft. The Daedalus pilot had to generate a mechanical power of 3.5 W/kg (1.6 W/lb) (dependent on the pilot's weight) to maintain flight.[1]
Some equipment utilize human power. They may utilize immediate mechanical power from muscles or stored electrical power generated by the body.