MIT's iPhone-Linked Copenhagen Wheel Makes Your Bike Smarter While Giving You A Boost
The innovation slingers from MIT Senseable City Lab have shown up at the Copenhagen Conference, and they’ve brought an idea with them that’s actually worth talking about. The Copenhagen Wheel – named not just for the city of its unveiling but also for Copenhagen’s role in a biking renaissance over the past several years – employs regenerative braking, an electric motor and even a Bluetooth connection to your iPhone for real-time data display. Anytime you step on the brakes, the generator collects power that it stores in an on-board battery. A sensor in the wheel’s hub can tell when your ride becomes strenuous, like when you’re heading uphill. The sensor then triggers an electric motor that boosts your forward pedaling power. The next time you hit the brakes the cycle starts all over. But this next-gen bike doesn’t stop at regenerative braking and electric helper motors. A Bluetooth connection in...