The Copenhagen Wheel was a rear wheel

e-bike An electric bicycle (e-bike, eBike, etc.) is a motorized bicycle with an integrated electric motor used to assist propulsion. Many kinds of e-bikes are available worldwide, but they generally fall into two broad categories: bikes that assist ...

system. The wheel was connected using an iOS or Android application and was equipped with an

electric motor An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate forc ...

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

, and suite of sensors that worked together to amplify a rider's pedal power. The Copenhagen Wheel was developed at MIT's Senseable City Lab in 2009 in partnership with the city of

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, and unveiled at the 2009

United Nations Climate Change Conference The United Nations Climate Change Conferences are yearly conferences held in the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). They serve as the formal meeting of the UNFCCC parties ( Conference of the Parties, ...

. In December 2012, Assaf Biderman, a co-inventor of the Wheel and Associate Director of the

MIT Senseable City Lab The MIT Senseable City Laboratory is a digital laboratory within MIT's City Design and Development group, within the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, which works in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab. The lab aims to investigate and anti ...

, founded SuperPedestrian Inc. with an exclusive license to commercialize the Wheel. The Copenhagen Wheel officially launched in the U.S. in April 2017, and in Europe in October 2017 In 2020 The Copenhagen Wheel was discontinued by Superpedestrian.

Physical components

The Copenhagen Wheel contained a custom

brushless motor A brushless DC electric motor (BLDC motor or BL motor), also known as an electronically commutated motor (ECM or EC motor) or synchronous DC motor, is a synchronous motor using a direct current (DC) electric power supply. It uses an electronic ...

, advanced sensors, control systems, and a

lithium-ion battery A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also s ...

, enclosed within the rear wheel hub. The control system interfaced with a range of sensors measuring

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of t ...

, power,

cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards. Don Michael Randel ( ...

, pedal position, and

acceleration In mechanics, acceleration is the rate of change of the velocity of an object with respect to time. Accelerations are vector quantities (in that they have magnitude and direction). The orientation of an object's acceleration is given by ...

to monitor a rider's effort when pedaling. The Wheel responded to a rider's inputs by providing the appropriate level of assistance at each moment. The wheel's battery was charged via an external cord that fitted a standard wall outlet. Electronic Braking Assistance while riding partially recharged the wheel when coasting or backpedaling. With a full charge, the wheel's reported range was up to 50 km (31 mi). Extensions in range were possible when using low-power modes.

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

Company website
Hybrid vehicles Bicycle parts