NetDev - How MIT's Hybrid Bike Wheel Came to Life

Developed by a student team out of MIT's SENSEable City lab, the wheel recently won the U.S. round the James Dyson Awards. Even Sir James lauded the design's versatility and elegance, telling us, "It's a well thought out design in that it addresses a number of problems beyond tired legs."

Inside of the hub, there's a 250 watt motor. And when you pedal, there are sensors in the wheel that detect torque. So once the torque sensor detects a certain amount of exertion, it knows to supplement your pedaling. So if you're going up a hill, you get more an assist. The idea is not that you stop pedaling and the motor takes over -- you're always pedaling, and the feeling is like having a friend pedaling with you.

Finally, you choose how much assist you want through the iPhone interface. You can choose from low to high amounts of assist -- so anywhere from 100% boost to a 300% boost.

Read the full article from Fast Company Design.