MIT re-invents the wheel, for bicycles

MIT's Copenhagen Wheel is an electronic bike conversion that provides a KERS energy-saving system for smart bicycles. It can also track traffic via an iPhone connection

MIT researchers have unveiled the Copenhagen Wheel, which boosts power using a Formula One-style KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System). It also provides a sort of Cycling 2.0 system by tracking friends, smog, traffic, and how fit you're getting.
The Wheel, shown at the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change, has a bright red hub stuffed with electronics. Carlo Ratti, director of the MIT SENSEable City Laboratory and the Copenhagen Wheel project, says:
When you brake, your kinetic energy is recuperated by an electric motor and then stored by batteries within the wheel, so that you can have it back to you when you need it. The bike wheel contains all you need so that no sensors or additional electronics need to be added to the frame and an existing bike can be retrofitted with the blink of an eye.
The wheel also has a Bluetooth connection to the user's iPhone, which can be mounted on the handlebars. The system can "monitor the bicycle's speed, direction and distance traveled, as well as collect data on air pollution and even the proximity of the rider's friends," says MIT. It can also send you an SMS message if the bike is stolen.
Christine Outram, the Wheel team project leader, says:
One of the applications that we have discussed with the City of Copenhagen is that of an incentive scheme whereby citizens collect Green Miles -- something similar to frequent flyer miles, but good for the environment.
The prototypes of the Copenhagen Wheel were developed with Ducati Energia and the Italian Ministry of the Environment, and the system should go into production next year.
The press release doesn't provide any data that I can see about the weight of the new wheel (it could be 5Kg or more), or the efficiency of its KERS system, including heat dissipation. As Formula One teams have already found, KERS sounds like a great idea but it may not provide a big enough advantage to be worth the extra weight. It's also not clear whether there are any plans to support other mobile phones beyond the iPhone, because that could also limit the potential market.
There's also no information on the possible price, but I'd guess it's likely to be £500 or more, based on a quick scan of UK Electric Bike & Trike prices.
Finally, there's the security aspect. As BernhardHofmann commented on Twitter: Sexiest "Steal me" bike sign I've ever seen
Given that electric bikes and ebike conversion kits have had limited success, it's not clear that the Copenhagen Wheel will change the world, but it's worthwhile research.