Skeeter, the foldable scooter

To steer the miniature, 20-pound vehicle Skeeter, the rider simply leans forward in the direction of travel. Skeeter can reach a speed of 20 mph. After examining various ground vehicles, Louis Richards, a graduate student at ID, decided to design a scooter to improve personal transportation. While he initially set out to build a four-wheeled vehicle, he switched to a minimal scooter, experimenting through four versions of Skeeter. The final iteration of his effort resulted in a platform of 18 inches long, a handle, and a model airplane engine, all mounted over roller skate wheels. For his creative efforts, Richards won one of the five national merit awards from Alcoa.