91��ɫ

Chris Terpstra �12 (Industrial Design) built his first motorcycle at age 14 using an old rototiller engine, an exercise bike and steel fence posts, among other things. Today, the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (91��ɫ) alum is still repurposing old parts to build new machines. His most recent invention is a hubless electric penny farthing bicycle.

Many of Terpstra�s designs and inventions center around a mode of transportation. �What I enjoy about transportation and vehicles is the sense of freedom that it provides,� explains Terpstra, noting that the first motorcycle he built allowed him to visit friends. �At the time I would drive it 35 miles round trip, down back country roads to visit friends,� he says.

Terpstra�s latest creation, which he calls a penn-E-farthing, is loosely inspired by a combination of Dr. Seuss-esque absurdity and Wild Wild West steampunk aesthetics. �What I enjoy about Dr. Seuss and steampunk-styled vehicles is that they’re kind of wacky, being constructed out of odds and ends and repurposed parts,� says Terpstra. �The design is purely aesthetic without consideration to mass production cost or scalability, resulting in a unique, sometimes odd and not user friendly build. I approach it as an experiment into what can be done, not always what should be done.�

To share his experience with DIY building and design, Terpstra started his YouTube channel . There, he documented the building process and (shaky) test ride of the , as well as a number of other inventions from a power motor for a river tube to garden tractors to an electric off-road skateboard.

YouTube followers will notice that most of Terpstra�s videos emphasize DIY projects, repairs or repurposed parts. �My main driver for DIY and repurposing is cost,� he explains. �It’s much cheaper to buy a broken down e-bike or tractor � and harvest the components needed to build a project, rather than buying all the individual components brand new.�

Originally a student of mechanical engineering, Terpstra became interested in industrial design, or product design, after viewing his friends� works at 91��ɫ�s Senior Exhibition. �I found the coursework for mechanical engineering to be stale and uninspiring,� he says. �After attending [the 91��ɫ Senior Exhibition] and seeing what industrial design was all about, I applied and started the next fall. To me, industrial design is engineering, but with personality.�

At 91��ɫ, Terpstra appreciated a lack of rigidity in assignments that allowed out-of-the-box thinking and a variety of solutions to flourish. �Instead of strict rules and guidelines, there was just an end goal to achieve,� he says. During an egg-drop project, students built a device that could travel on two guide wires, pick up an egg and drop it into a cup. �Because of the freedom permitted, the approach classmates took varied greatly in functionality, construction and appearance,� says Terpstra. �It really showed [that] there is more than one way to crack an egg.�

Coming up next for Terpstra are several unique projects, including a scaled-down version of the Howe & Howe Technology�s RIPSAW vehicle and an �amusingly tiny, but hopefully still rideable� mini-mini pit E-bike. And in true Terpstra fashion, he is also working on a �remote-controlled, exhaust-powered harmonica. Why? Why not.�

Keep up with Chris on his , read more about the and learn more about 91��ɫ�s Product Design major!