Most bikes with automatic shifters are pure junk, bogged down with heavy beach-cruiser frames and awkward shifting mechanisms that either shift too soon or too late. But those lunkers could soon be left in the dust.
Boston-based Parlee Cycles is currently working on a concept bicycle that not only has the sleek look of a road bike, but also features brain-controlled gear shifting. Officially know as the PXP, the light-weight, carbon fiber bicycle is under development as a part of the Toyota Prius Projects.
Early sketches of the PXP were first unveiled by Parlee Cycles in April 2011. The bike was recently wind tunnel tested. The think-to-shift gear system in being developed by Deeplocal studio. The technology would use neurotransmitters in the rider's helmet to measure brainwaves. Those signals would be relayed through a wireless transmitter attached to the seat post and used to operate the electronic gear shift.
The PXP's shifting system is currently being controlled by a smartphone.To follow the progress of the PXP project, US-based cycling blogger John Watson is posting weekly updates at ProllyisnotProbably.com.
[Via GizMag]
Credit: Corbis
Tags: Bicycles, Brain-Computer Interface, Computers, Electric Bicycles, Electronics
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