Motor hubcap...A bicycle fitted with a prototype of the Copenhagen Wheel, the red disk, hangs on a wall at Superpedestrian. The motor promises to turn every commuter into a Tour de France level athlete, kicking in to help cyclists speed along at 69km/h. Picture: AP Source: AP
A TECH startup is launching a new device that transforms almost any bicycle into an electric-hybrid vehicle using an app on a smartphone.
The device, called the Copenhagen Wheel, is installed as part of a rear hub of a bike wheel and is packed with a proprietary computer, batteries and sensors that monitor how hard a rider is pedaling and activate an onboard motor whenever support is needed.
The device uses wireless connectivity to communicate with the biker's smartphone to track distance travelled, elevation gained, share with friends the number of calories burned and lock the wheel remotely as soon as the owner walks away from the bike.
"The motor integrates itself with the rider's motion very, very seamlessly," said Assaf Biderman, who co-invented the device at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's SENSEable City Lab, where he is associate director.
Smart, responsive and elegant, the Copenhagen Wheel is a new emblem for urban mobility. It transforms ordinary bicycles quickly into hybrid e-bikes that also function as mobile sensing units. The Copenhagen Wheel allows you to capture the energy dissipated while cycling and braking and save it for when you need a bit of a boost. It also maps pollution levels, traffic congestion, and road conditions in real-time.
SENSE and SUSTAINABILITY
Controlled through your smart phone, the Copenhagen Wheel becomes a natural extension of your everyday life. You can use your phone to unlock and lock your bike, change gears and select how much the motor assists you. As you cycle, the wheels sensing unit is also capturing your effort level and information about your surroundings, including road conditions, carbon monoxide, NOx, noise, ambient temperature and relative humidity. Access this data through your phone or the web and use it to plan healthier bike routes, to achieve your exercise goals or to meet up with friends on the go. You can also share your data with friends, or with your city - anonymously if you wish thereby contributing to a fine-grained database of environmental information from which we can all benefit.
ABOUT the PROJECT
The Copenhagen Wheel will be unveiled on December 15 at the COP15 United Nations Climate Conference. The project was conceived and developed by the SENSEable City Lab for the Kobenhavns Kommune. The prototype bikes were realized with the help of our technical partner Ducati Energia and funding from the Ministry for the Environment. Progical Solutions LLC provided technical support for the iphone control of the bikes.
The components of the project are an electric bicycle wheel that can be easily retrofitted into any regular bicycle and location and environmental sensors which are powered by the bike wheel and in turn provide data for a variety of applications.
The Copenhagen Wheel project demonstrates that small intelligent implementations can lead to major changes. This work will be displayed at the 2009 Cop 15 UN Climate Summit where the next version of the Kyoto Protocol will be signed.
The device, called the Copenhagen Wheel, is installed as part of a rear hub of a bike wheel and is packed with a proprietary computer, batteries and sensors that monitor how hard a rider is pedaling and activate an onboard motor whenever support is needed.
The device uses wireless connectivity to communicate with the biker's smartphone to track distance travelled, elevation gained, share with friends the number of calories burned and lock the wheel remotely as soon as the owner walks away from the bike.
"The motor integrates itself with the rider's motion very, very seamlessly," said Assaf Biderman, who co-invented the device at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's SENSEable City Lab, where he is associate director.
"It's almost like having a riding companion riding together with you, making the ride easier, simpler."
The combination of power from the Copenhagen Wheel and the cyclist's energy can make an average biker move "almost like a Tour-de-Franc-level athlete in your daily commute," said Mr Biderman, who founded Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Superpedestrian, which has secured an exclusive license for the technology from MIT.
The Copenhagen Wheel packs sufficient power to propel a rider as fast as 60 km/h, but developers have put speed limits in software to meet local speed limits, effectively turning off the motor once the speed reaches 20 mph in the US and 25 kilometres elsewhere.
The combination of power from the Copenhagen Wheel and the cyclist's energy can make an average biker move "almost like a Tour-de-Franc-level athlete in your daily commute," said Mr Biderman, who founded Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Superpedestrian, which has secured an exclusive license for the technology from MIT.
The Copenhagen Wheel packs sufficient power to propel a rider as fast as 60 km/h, but developers have put speed limits in software to meet local speed limits, effectively turning off the motor once the speed reaches 20 mph in the US and 25 kilometres elsewhere.
The Copenhagen wheel Technical specifications:
MOTOR US: 350W / EU: 250W
WEELE SIZE 26" or 700c rim
BATTERY Removable 48Volt Lithium
CONNECTIVITY Bluetooth 4.0
BATTERY LIFE 1000 cycles
SMARTPHONE OS iOS, Android
CHARGE TIME 4 hours
COMPATIBILITY Single Speed or 9/10 Speed Free Hub (email us your bike specs if you have doubts: info@superpedestrian.com )
TOP SPEED US: 20 mph
EU: 25 km/h
BRAKE TYPE Rim brake and regenerative braking (downhill and back-pedal)
RANGE Up to 50 km / 31 mi
WEIGHT 5.9 kg / 13 lbs
DROPOUT 135 mm
THE COPENHAGEN WHEELMOTOR US: 350W / EU: 250W
WEELE SIZE 26" or 700c rim
BATTERY Removable 48Volt Lithium
CONNECTIVITY Bluetooth 4.0
BATTERY LIFE 1000 cycles
SMARTPHONE OS iOS, Android
CHARGE TIME 4 hours
COMPATIBILITY Single Speed or 9/10 Speed Free Hub (email us your bike specs if you have doubts: info@superpedestrian.com )
TOP SPEED US: 20 mph
EU: 25 km/h
BRAKE TYPE Rim brake and regenerative braking (downhill and back-pedal)
RANGE Up to 50 km / 31 mi
WEIGHT 5.9 kg / 13 lbs
DROPOUT 135 mm
Smart, responsive and elegant, the Copenhagen Wheel is a new emblem for urban mobility. It transforms ordinary bicycles quickly into hybrid e-bikes that also function as mobile sensing units. The Copenhagen Wheel allows you to capture the energy dissipated while cycling and braking and save it for when you need a bit of a boost. It also maps pollution levels, traffic congestion, and road conditions in real-time.
SENSE and SUSTAINABILITY
Controlled through your smart phone, the Copenhagen Wheel becomes a natural extension of your everyday life. You can use your phone to unlock and lock your bike, change gears and select how much the motor assists you. As you cycle, the wheels sensing unit is also capturing your effort level and information about your surroundings, including road conditions, carbon monoxide, NOx, noise, ambient temperature and relative humidity. Access this data through your phone or the web and use it to plan healthier bike routes, to achieve your exercise goals or to meet up with friends on the go. You can also share your data with friends, or with your city - anonymously if you wish thereby contributing to a fine-grained database of environmental information from which we can all benefit.
ABOUT the PROJECT
The Copenhagen Wheel will be unveiled on December 15 at the COP15 United Nations Climate Conference. The project was conceived and developed by the SENSEable City Lab for the Kobenhavns Kommune. The prototype bikes were realized with the help of our technical partner Ducati Energia and funding from the Ministry for the Environment. Progical Solutions LLC provided technical support for the iphone control of the bikes.
The components of the project are an electric bicycle wheel that can be easily retrofitted into any regular bicycle and location and environmental sensors which are powered by the bike wheel and in turn provide data for a variety of applications.
The Copenhagen Wheel project demonstrates that small intelligent implementations can lead to major changes. This work will be displayed at the 2009 Cop 15 UN Climate Summit where the next version of the Kyoto Protocol will be signed.
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