Urban population is constantly growing and expanding, and accordingly, it has many consequences and impacts on urban ecosystems. One of the major problems of a big city is traffic congestion, which causes air, noise and other types of pollution.
Many major world cities change their attitudes in regards to transportation policies. For example, the city of Copenhagen, Netherlands is changed its major mode of transportation to cycling (64%). Cycling is ‘environmentally friendly’ and efficient in urban environment. Around the turn of the 20th century, bicycles reduced crowding in inner-city tenements by allowing workers to commute from more spacious dwellings in the suburbs. Cycling is also a symbol of women’s emancipation. A number of cities have a cycling sharing systems worldwide. Many studies suggested that cycling mode of transportation make cities more sustainable and less polluted.
Bicycle technology has been constantly developing starting that helped to ease cyclist’s performance. Some of innovations include an ability to change a gear, lightening frame, by using up to date materials, etc. Most recently, developers from SuperPedestrian founded in late 2012 by Assaf Biderman who is the Associate Director at MIT’s Senseable City Lab, created a “Smart Wheel” technology named “Copenhagen Wheel” – It’s a wheel that can be attached to a regular bike. The wheel, equipped with a motor, batteries, sensors and wireless connectivity, transforms the bike into a smart bike that multiplies pedal power and even measures the rider’s heart rate and monitors potholes. The wheel doesn’t need to be charged, because it accumulates the energy from peddling.
Some people might have been avoiding cycling in the city, because they are not quite fit or because they didn’t want to sweat while cycling. The Copenhagen Wheel, due to its energy efficiency, may solve this problems in the nearest future and expand a number of cyclists in urban environments.
Written by Timur Pozhidaev, 10/19/2015.