Copenhagen Wheel

The Copenhagen Wheel is truly, a remarkable innovation, combining sophisticated and compact motor design elements with seamless, modern smart phone integration. Superpedestrian has created a futuristic invention that transforms your regular ol’ bicycle into a smart electric hybrid.

The Copenhagen Wheel uses advanced algorithms to keep you pedaling smoothly whether traveling on a flat surface or trucking up a hill. It has a number of sensors that directly sync up to and communicate with your smart phone via Bluetooth. You can track miles, calories burned, temperature/ humidity changes and even environmental pollution while riding your bike with this state of the art technology.

Copenhagen Wheel Key Features

1. Self Contained Technology – All components transforming your regular bike into an electrically driven e-Bike are housed within the red disk of the Copenhagen Wheel. There is no need for additional wires or battery placement. Within the red casing you’ll find…

• 350w Motor
• 3 Speed Internal Hub Gear
• Removable 48v Lithium Ion Battery
• Wireless Connectivity
• Smart Locking
• A Multitude of Sensors
• Embedded Control System

2. Smart Phone Integration – You can use your smart phone via the sophisticated app by Superpedestrian to do the following:

• Sync to Hub of Copenhagen Wheel via Bluetooth
• Customize Your Ride
• Monitor Your Physical Activity
• Gather Information From Your Environment
• Share Data With Friends and Other Cyclists
• Developers Can Develop Apps

3. Sophisticated Sensors – Technology inside the Copenhagen Wheel is able to sense an array of environmental data relevant to an urban landscape including:

• CO or Carbon Monoxide Levels
• NOx or Nitrogen Oxide Levels
• Noise Expressed in dB
• Relative Humidity
• Temperature
• Future Ability to Customize These Specs

4. Easy Assembly – The Copenhagen Wheel can easily be retrofitted (replace old back wheel with Copenhagen Wheel) to most bicycles without much technical know how.

5. Environmentally Conscious – The Copenhagen Wheel was created to provide a more attractive and convenient form of urban transportation with environmental impact as the endgame. The data collected by users can be used by communities to understand environmental impact and allocate resources to key areas. Read this statement from Superpedestrian:

When many cyclists donate the information their wheel is collecting, your city gains access to a new scale of fine-grained environmental information. Through this, your city can: Cross analyze different types of environmental data on a scale that has never before been achieved before. Build a more detailed understanding of the impact of transportation, on a city infrastructure Or study dynamic phenomena like urban heat islands. Ultimately, this type of crowd sourcing can influence how your city allocates its resources, how it responds to environmental conditions in real-time or how it structures and implements environmental and transportation policies.

Copenhagen Wheel, huh?

Copenhagen Wheel does spark some curiosity into its naming origin, doesn’t it? Here is some of the history that indirectly explains the name, as well as important stepping stones that led to the final Copenhagen Wheel incarnation available today.

• Designed by SENSEable City Lab at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Cambridge, MA
• Conceived and developed for Københavns Kommune, the largest of the Copenhagen Municipalities making up the city of Copenhagen, Denmark
• Unveiled to the world at the 2009 COP15 United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark
• Sponsored by Lord Mayor of Copenhagen Ritt Bjerregaard (2006-2009)
• Bike prototypes were realized with partner Ducati Energia, an electrical gizmo company that branched from the same original company that Ducati Meccanica emerged from (makers of Ducati motorcycles)
• Funded by the Danish (Denmark) Ministry for the Environment
• Copenhagen is known for its bicycle culture and abundance of cyclists with a captivating cityscape full of bicyclists

So, as you can see, the city of Copenhagen is definitely the key influence that both inspired and allowed this project to come to fruition. From sponsorship and funding to even national publicity. The Lord Mayor of Copenhagen at the time, Ritt Bjerregaard publicly commented on the Copenhagen Wheel,

“Our city’s ambition is that 50 percent of the citizens will take their bike to work or school every day. So for us, this project is part of the answer to how can we make using a bike even more attractive.”

How To Install Copenhagen Wheel

Because of the self-contained nature of the Copenhagen Wheel it can easily be retrofitted to most bicycles. “Retrofitted” is geekspeak for taking your current back wheel off and sliding the Copenhagen Wheel into it’s place. Voila! You probably would want the style of your bike to match the Copenhagen Wheel. Although possible, for aesthetic reasons, I wouldn’t recommend “retrofitting” it onto a mountain bike. Just sayin’.

Copenhagen Wheel Pricing and Pre-Order

The Copenhagen Wheel is currently available for pre-order with an “Early Bird Special” of $699. I know, I know, seems a little pricey for just the wheel BUT when you think of all the technology that is incorporated into this invention and the years of research and development, it seems pretty reasonable. That doesn’t make it any easier to afford! I really would like one but the thought of that investment will have to sit on the shelf for a while.

Copenhagen Wheel Media Coverage

“The bike wheel that’s too clever for it’s own good” – theguardian

“MIT’s SENSEable City Lab has, quite literally, reinvented the wheel.” – WIRED

“MIT Ushers in biking 2.0 with Copenhagen Wheel” – GIZMODO

“Copenhagen Wheel: the Future Cycling Experience” – Daily Motion

“MIT’s Copenhagen Wheel turns your bike into a hybrid, personal trainer.” – engadget

“Smart Wheel takes the load off your commute.” MODE SHIFT

“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.” – Superpedestrian statement

Websites, Articles and Videos

Superpedestrian, Inc official website for Copenhagen Wheel product launch

Copenhagen Wheel Product Website by MIT’s SENSEable Lab

YouTube Riding Video of Lord Mayor of Copenhagen and Lord Mayor of Toronto on bicycle equipped with Copenhagen Wheel

Original Teaser Video – SENSEable City Lab’s original video on Copenhagen Wheel

“Copenhagen Wheel“ by copenhagenize.com

“MIT debuts the Copenhagen Wheel“ by Gizmag

“Two Thumbs Down For the Copenhagen Wheel” by Behooving Moving

Help Us Out!

If you find any other noteworthy media coverage of the Copenhagen Wheel let us know and we’ll update the post with it!

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