Sunday, July 3, 2011

Concept bike lets you shift gears with your mind, pedaling still required (Yahoo! News)

A special helmet and advanced engineering make thought-controlled shifting is a reality

Controlling objects simply by thinking about them was once just a dream, but more and more, scientists are beginning to learn how to turn thoughts into actions. One such example is a new cycle concept created with the help of Toyota Prius Projects. Built by bike maker Parlee, the cycling gurus from Prolly is not Probably are creating a super aerodynamic road bike called the PXP that sports an interesting addition: mind-controlled shifting.

The team initially used a smartphone interface to control the PXP's electronic shifting mechanism, but a recent update revealed that their plans are much more futuristic. With the know-how of engineers from Deeplocal, the job of shifting the bike was moved from the hands to the brain. After calibrating a helmet jam-packed with neurosensors to a specific rider's brain waves, the bike can be shifted up or down simply by thinking about it.

Prius Projects highlights interesting and inventive new concepts that small teams are attempting all over the world. The energy-saving aerodynamic properties of the PXP, coupled with brain-bending features like mind control, make the project's progress worth following. We can only hope that the end result has the potential to spawn a consumer-level product somewhere down the line.

(Source)

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