Bicycle brakes generate electricity

A group of students in the United States has built a bicycle that produces electricity during rolling on the road.

Copenhagen Wheel wheel by student group of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.Photo: web.mit.edu

Discovery said the wheel was the invention of a group of students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. They named it Copenhagen Wheel (Copenhagen wheel) because Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is a city where bicycles are a popular means of transportation.

The design team applies a technique in a formula racing car. It is a kinetic energy recovery system. Normally when a car driver brakes, the energy is generated in the form of heat on the rotating block in the generator and the brake pedal. In vehicles equipped with kinetic energy recovery system, this energy is captured to use the motor when accelerating.

Copenhagen Wheel wheels operate based on the same principle. The thermal energy from the brake is turned into electricity by an engine. This amount of electricity is then charged on a battery.

When the user connects the battery to the phone, the wheel becomes the power supply. It is equipped with many Bluetooth sensors and transmitters. The sensors monitor the speed, direction, distance, traffic situation and air pollution level.