Taking a queue from the hybrid car designers, MIT has shown off what it views as the future of must-have bike accessories.  The concept, called the Copenhagen Wheel, is a set of intelligent components encased in the rear wheel; a battery, electric motor, bluetooth to communicate speeds to an iPhone, and various other tech.  As you slow down, the sensor detects the speed change, and uses the braking to charge up the battery.  As you speed up, the sensor detects this, and kicks in the motor to help you out a bit.  It’s pretty ingenious, as all you need to do is install the wheel to your existing bike.

Encasing all of the technology in the wheel is pretty smart, and that’s definitely where all of the hype is surrounding it.  Regenerative braking, and electric assist is nothing new.  Last July, Crunchgear.com covered a bike introduced by Panasonic that offers regenerative braking.  Of course, it wasn’t encased in the wheel, and you had to actually purchase a new bike, so definitely not the same thing.

It’s not exactly cheap though (from cnet.com):

The Copenhagen wheel is targeted to hit the market within a year and will be sold by online retailers, consumer electronics vendors, and possibly bike stores. The wheel will cost as much as a standard electronic bike–somewhere between $500 and $1000.

Almost worth it to buy a new bike at that price.  Who knows though, if it catches on, the price would likely come down over time, helping us all be a bit more lazy.

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