By David Ponce

Unveiled on December 15th at the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change, the Copenhagen Wheel is an MIT project that aims to “to promote cycling by extending the range of distance people can cover and by making the whole riding experience smoother so that even steep inclines are no longer a barrier to comfortable cycling.” It’s a device that can be retrofitted to any bike and does a whole bunch of stuff. For one, through a type of KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), it stores energy every time you apply the brakes and gives it back to you when it senses you might need it, like when going uphill. Additionally, there’s an iPhone app (connected through Bluetooth) that would allow you to track a number of variables such as “speed, direction and distance traveled. [It would also] collect data on air pollution and even the proximity of the rider’s friends.”

The initial prototypes of the Copenhagen Wheel were developed along with company Ducati Energia and the Italian Ministry of the Environment. It is expected that the wheel will go into production next year, with a tag price competitive with that of a standard electric bike

Keep reading for a video of the device in action.

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