Engineering Better Waves for Surfers Everywhere

The technology of surfing, for much of the sport's history, has focused on better boards for riding the waves. In recent years, though, some forward-looking folks have focused instead on the waves themselves and have created what's known as "surf parks" or "wave gardens." Here, surfers can ride artificial waves inside giant pools.

For the course Mechanical Engineering Special Projects (MENG 472), Jan Schroers, Professor of mechanical engineering, and Larry Wilen, a Center for Engineering Innovation & Design mentor and senior research scientist, set up the challenge of building a prototype of a surf park that would allow for the study of wave formation and to assess energy and economic requirements of an actual park.

Original post from Yale SEAS News here.