Copenhagen Wheel Wins U.S. James Dyson Award (Video + Photos)

An invention that can turn any bike into an electric hybrid has won the U.S. part of the James Dyson Award.

The  Copenhagen Wheel will now compete against other winners in the world-wide design competition. The Copenhagen wheel isn’t a concept in the pure sense, as the video illustrates a working prototype has been produced.

The wheel can be controlled via your iPhone to function as a personal trainer to change effort expended and provide real time feedback on distance traveled and calories burned. As riders use the Copenhagen Wheel the smartphone app rewards Green Miles, similar to frequent flyer miles.

The Copenhagen Wheel was unveiled on December 15 at the COP15 United Nations Climate Conference. The project was conceived and developed by the SENSEable City Lab for the Kobenhavns Kommune. The prototype bikes were built with the help of Ducati Energia. Progical Solutions LLC provided the app support of the bikes.

The components of the project are an electric bicycle wheel that can be easily retrofitted to any regular bicycle.

The grand-prize is $15,000 to the inventors and $15,000 to the school they represent.

The winners will be party with Sir James Dyson tonight.

The challenge is easy: design something that solves a problem.

It’s the solutions that are challenging.

Background from the website explains…

The James Dyson Award is an international design award that celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of design engineers. It’s run by the James Dyson Foundation, James Dyson’s charitable trust, as part of its mission to inspire young people about design engineering.

A project by the MIT Senseable City Lab senseable.mit.edu/copenhagenwheel/
Photos by Max Tomasinelli www.maxtomasinelli.com