MIT boffins unveil the eco-friendly Copenhagen Wheel

by Stevie Smith - Dec 16 2009, 06:01

If you’ve ever been to Copenhagen, you’ll already be familiar with the considerable amount of bicycle traffic trundling along the city’s busy streets. It’s therefore fitting that the tech boffins at MIT have used this week’s Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change to unveil their ecologically friendly ‘Copenhagen Wheel’.

Looking like an otherwise ordinary bicycle wheel equipped with a noticeably enlarged central hub, the Copenhagen Wheel houses a plethora of technological gadgets and functions designed to aid the rider during their journey while also gathering information on environmental conditions.

These functions include a handy storage-and-return system that collects energy every time the cyclist engages the bike’s brakes, and then channels that energy back to the rider for a quick speed boost or when their journey goes uphill.

Developed by MIT associate professor Carlo Ratti and his team at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) and SENSEable City Laboratory, the Copenhagen Wheel functions entirely through the application of pedal power and requires no additional input or assistance from batteries, switches or dials.

“Over the past few years we’ve seen a kind of ‘biking renaissance,’ which started in Copenhagen and is now transforming the urban experience in many cities from Paris to Barcelona or Montreal,” outlined Ratti.

“We could also call is a ‘Biking 2.0’ revolution, whereby cheap electronics allow us to augment bikes and convert them into a more flexible, on-demand system,” he added.      

The Frisbee-like central hub also contains a series of sensors and a Bluetooth connection so that users equipped with a handlebar-mounted iPhone (iPod Touch) can easily peruse on-the-go information regarding speed, direction, distance travelled, levels of air pollution, and even the rider’s proximity to their friends.

According to David L. Chandler at the MIT news office, users can also opt-in on a green scheme that relays the Copenhagen Wheel’s data directly to the city in order to help amass a comprehensive database related to air quality, popular biking routes and areas of traffic congestion.

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