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Harvesting cyclists' kinetic energy

New wheel gives bikers a boost.

By Katy Rank LevWed, Dec 16 2009 at 9:46 AM EST
 9

NEW WHEELS: Cyclists can harvest energy from coasting downhill and use it to help pedal uphill. (Photo: Max Tomasinelli)
How many more people would bike to work if they weren't afraid of the uphill climbs along their commute? Thanks to researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, we are about to find out. The New York Times reports the Senseable City Laboratory is working on a wheel to gather the kinetic energy we generate while biking, saving it up for when we need a boost on those daunting hills.
 
According to the article, the researchers envision the new wheel as part of "Biking 2.0," putting cycling in the same category as hybrid cars. The cycle stores up the energy released for braking or coasting downhill, and communicates that via smartphones. The spinning wheel will charge a battery in the hub, called the Copenhagen Wheel (named after the city where it was unveiled this week). The new part can be retrofitted into any existing rear wheel. It differs from other electronic bikes because it eliminates heavy batteries or wires since all of the mechanisms are contained within the wheel hub. In addition to the energy-harvesting technology, the new hub includes "sensors that track air quality, a meter that logs miles and a GPS unit to track routes." This information can all be sent via Bluetooth to the cyclist's cell phone.
 
According to developers, the rider need to place his phone on the bike handlebars and the Copenhagen Wheel Application communicates information to the phone regarding how much effort the rider exerts, when to change gears, how much motor assistance is needed, or even whether the bike should be locked or unlocked.
 
The Danes seem hopeful that the new wheel can fit in well with their culture that is "trying to wean itself off cars," but others are skeptical that cyclists will accept the new technology. In an era of fixed-gear or single-speed bikes, simplicity seems to reign supreme. Perhaps dedicated cyclists will indeed spurn the new hub. But this might not be the target market for the hub anyway. As M.I.T. researchers continue to develop this biking technology, they stress their first goal is to create "a bike that's a true transportation tool." They point out that people with short commutes who would otherwise be wary of sweat or hills might be encouraged to hop on a bike. The Times quotes lead researcher Christine Outram as saying, "[this hub]'s a technology that can get more people on bikes."
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Related Topics: Alternative Transportation, Green Alternatives

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anonymous
buddy 07/09/2011 10:33 AM

great idea, it doesnt look to bad either maybe in different colors work well.
-bud
http://www.kineticenergys.com

anonymous
Daisy 05/27/2011 13:24 PM

I live at the top of the hill in my town and to be able to ride to downtown and not have to huff it so much on the way back would be great.

anonymous
sam 01/23/2011 21:01 PM

it would be interesting to see this technology continue to improve through the years. I can see plenty of applications if it created more power and also became smaller, yes it seems far off. All subcategories of bicycling would be affected; mountainbiking, bmx, as well as road bikes.

anonymous
Emily 12/05/2010 16:52 PM

As someone who loves to bike but hates the issue of getting sweaty before I even reach my destination this would be perfect for me. I would use this instead of a car any day.

anonymous
Douglas (Dana) Goncz 01/29/2010 23:06 PM

Jan Bochenek (hydraulics), Rit Booth (flybrids), and I (ultracpacitors) have formed a Group on LinkedIn to discuss how bicyclist's lives may be save, automobile driver irritation reduced, and traffic integration enhanced through precisely this concept of kinetic energy recover. Please feel free to join us there to discuss what is possible and practical. None of our designs require a smartphone. :)

anonymous
Jeff 12/23/2009 15:30 PM

Explain to me why you need a smartphone for this to work.

anonymous
Phenomenon-x 12/21/2009 23:12 PM

I really like this idea.

anonymous
Guest 12/21/2009 21:16 PM

Interesting, I too have a model of this on a working bike
http://www.thekpv.com
The Electric & Kinetic Powered Vehicle

anonymous
Luke 12/20/2009 15:51 PM

Well I'd prefer it if it DIDN'T track me by GPS, but otherwise cool!

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