Let’s see a show of hands. How many of you know what I’m talking about? Yes, this was the call to action for Speedy Gonzales, the fastest cartoon mouse (and before the lawyers get involved, Speedy Gonzales and Looney Tunes are trademarks and or trade names of Warner Brothers. All rights reserved). A direct translation of it means: Up! Up! Go on! Go on! And he’d usually yell it out before speeding off to his next adventure. I can still hear myself reciting it when I drove my very first sports car on the freeway during the early morning hours oh so many moons ago.

Now I chant it under my breath when I see Concurrent CFD in action. This type of simulation software is named Concurrent because CFD is fully embedded in CAD; as a result, you can conduct fluid flow and heat transfer analysis throughout a product’s design process. When you’re ready to analyze your new model, you simply prepare it for analysis right there and then inside CAD without transferring your data to another software or person. There’s been a fair amount of press on it lately so I won’t go into too much detail here. But the reason why Concurrent CFD reminds me of Speedy is that Concurrent CFD can reduce simulation time by as much as 65 to 75 percent in compare to traditional CFD tools. ¡Ándale! ¡Ándale!

Analysis results on an LED light. Image courtesy of Voxdale.

While all markets and products are time sensitive to a certain degree, the electronics market seems to be an extremely fast moving one.  Every day we are bombarded by ads showcasing the latest/newest/shiniest mobile phone. TVs are getting bigger and thinner by the hour. In short, time is of essence for companies developing any electronic product. So it would be helpful to do thermal validation and optimize airflow as quickly as possible. If you’re involved in electronics design and are interested in how Concurrent CFD can help, then I’d like to invite you to the Concurrent CFD for Electronics Cooling Applications online presentation. During this 45-minute presentation Travis Mikajaniec will give you a bit more background information on Concurrent CFD and show you how to take advantage of it to make your life a whole lot easier. Hope to see you there.
Until next time,
Nazita

Every moment has unknown potential to become something extraordinarily different from the previous one. Most people place considerable time into planning out their day in efforts to maximize their time. Then there are those who have decided to be open to the unexpected and let life come as it will.

There was a time when people would reflect on the wonders of the day and wish they had a way to capture it. Children grow, family gatherings are expanded and a moment of glory on a base ball field is a story that needs to be repeated. All of these things are important to everyone around the world.

Believe it or not the kitchen is a very active space within many homes. Women can be found gathered at the countertop microwave preparing a fresh bag of pop corn while sharing a private moment. Making the most out of your time means taking advantage of every opportunity and people are catching on fast. The time spent with others is merely time acquired to plan their next gathering in an effort to keep everyone alive in the experience of life.

Family and friends love to see each other do well and are always trying to figure out how they could be supportive to your process. More often times than not there will be some scheduling issues or maybe a distance dilemma that pose a problem. The beauty of this is the technology that can be employed to resolve both issues at once.

Maintaining your connections with other’s can be difficult without the right resources. There are a variety of tools that can project you right in the middle of an experience and with real time speed. One of those resources is the canon digital slr camera. The photos you acquire will serve as your visual aid when you want to articulate the magnitude of something that has occurred.

There are also those occasions that you find yourself experiencing a proud adult moment. While most of the working world expects that most will acquire their dreams; it is the family members and close friends who will appreciate the details of your process. They want to hear about your promotion and your brand new over the range microwave. So, take the pictures and be as animated as you want to be.

There are a variety of reasons to stand still and commemorate the moments of your life. And, all of those reasons live inside the experiences you live with the people that mean so much to you. Capture every moment you can and let them fuel your drive for new memories.

Your decision on where to go to college can be an overwhelming decision to make. It may very well be the first grown-up decision you make with the help of your family. There are several colleges that may be right for you, but how do you decide? Well, there are a number of steps to take to ensure you choose the best school for you. Your first very important step is to start this process as early as you can!

Do you have an idea of what you want to study in college? This may be a lot to ask of a teenager, but a lot of time teens have a number of interests they have already focused on. For instance, if you are always snapping pictures with your canon digital slr camera, and photography is your passion, ask yourself is this what you want to study through college?

When you are clear about your interests and passions, this can help you find a school that caters to a major that incorporates your interests. A school that is involved in your interests can help you pursue passions. If science is your passion than you will probably lean toward a school that has a strong science program. You probably will not apply to an arts school because this simply does not cater to your interests and strengths!

Set up a criteria list that will help you narrow your options. For instance, is it important to you to be able to go home at night and heat up homemade meals in your family kitchen’s countertop microwave? If living at home is important to you, you will want to find schools that are close to home.

Are you interest in living in the city or a rural setting? What about financing college? When you have an idea of where you want to live and how you will pay for it can help you begin compiling a list of applicable schools.

There are a number of websites that can help you find schools that fit your criteria. Once you know which schools you are considering, visit their website. Colleges and universities often have a special section for prospective students. In this section you will find information on the admissions process, faculty, degrees and plenty of pictures. This will help you get a feel for the institution.

You can even call your schools of interest and schedule a visit to campus. Many schools have special tours they offer prospective students. Remember, even though going away to college may not offer you the comforts of your over the range microwave home does, there are a number of new adventures waiting for you.

With our solar water heater ratings, it’s as if you were taking an expert with you while you shop.

We are air conditioning Scottsdale AZ with quality and Affordable AC Repairs and AC Maintenance.

I had to call the A/C Handyman for service twice to my apt building. Both times that Brad came out he was on time and explained to me what the problem

A day after coming home from vacation we found that our air conditioner wasn’t working right. It was just when the weather was starting to get hot. I

Always dependable, good communication and people skills, always gets the job done. Thank you

FloTHERM Customers – Come and find out everything that’s new in Version 9!

With our heat pump water heater ratings, it’s as if you were taking a repairman with you while you shop.

With our air conditioner ratings, it’s as if you were taking a repairman with you while you shop.

First we have to answer:  What is a Heat pump?

For climates with moderate heating and cooling needs, heat pumps offer an energy-efficient alternative to furnaces and air conditioners. Like your refrigerator, heat pumps use electricity to move heat from a cool space to a warm space, making the cool space cooler and the warm space warmer. During the heating season, heat pumps move heat from the cool outdoors into your warm house; during the cooling season, heat pumps move heat from your cool house into the warm outdoors. Because they move heat rather than generate heat, heat pumps can provide up to 4 times the amount of energy they consume.

The most common type of heat pump is the air-source heat pump, which transfers heat between your house and the outside air. High-efficiency heat pumps also dehumidify better than standard central air conditioners, resulting in less energy usage and more cooling comfort in summer months. However, the efficiency of most air-source heat pumps as a heat source drops dramatically at low temperatures, generally making them unsuitable for cold climates, although there are systems that can overcome that problem.

___________________________________________________________________

The short answer to the question above is “No”.  In cooling and heating mode the compressor is running most of the time.  If you do the math with the cost of your gas bill and add it into your energy bill (for the winter months), it comes out about the same during the summer months.  So you really didn’t save any money.

The only way you can really save money with a heat pump system is to look into the new inverter compressor technology with Daikin or Mitsubishi.  With this new technology you will save money on your energy bills and stay warm. The reason is simple: with an inverter compressor, the compressor stays running at a low constant amperage (even on start-up).  With a conventional compressor, when it starts to run the amperage spikes and then goes down to a low amperage. When your compressor spikes, so does your energy meter!  

In some instances, a heat pump system can save the owner money through lower energy costs, but conventional heat pumps are not the most efficient way to save money in Lubbock. With the new inverter compressor technology you will be able to save money and have great efficiency along with it.  Ask me about howa new Mitsubishi or Daikin system can help you save money.

What is your opinion?

Photo by

Zone heating puts the heat in your room if required. With this will reduce the fuel that affect your finances. The right choice when selecting a gas heating stoves. Because these heaters will directly distribute the heat, burning up and free of problems. Use of gas stoves for heating. Many opportunities that you will be able to give warmth and character of a place to stay when you are choosing gas heating stove. Various styles and outcomes which you can choose. There is an impression in the ultra-modern traditional with contemporary lines in Europe, but choose the model that match your decor.

Gas heating stoves with wood burning stove which has no cause you trouble, because it is not difficult to bring the wood and cuts in accordance with the stove. Just a flick switc fast flame will radiate from the stove immediately. And you do not need to worry when the power goes out, because it is still able to walk to warm you and your family. To maintain this equipment need for routine maintenance at least once a year to maintain stove. Gas heating stoves is controlled by a thermostatic heating that can adjust the heat to stabilize or regulate the temperature. The accessories included with this stove is one of the remote control that allows you to control and operate your stove without moving from a chair. Many models with prices and sizes currently available. Choose the model appropriate to adjust the size of the room and also with your budget. And now, a gas heating stove efficiency can look beautiful and look stunning in your home. And then, if you have a new home or want to change the renovation, you will not be difficult to put this tool that will provide warmth in the house.

The planet associated with water filters is actually considerable, multifaceted as well as utterly puzzling. Wading with the mayhem associated with picking a Camping Water Filter is created simpler by using a few good sense suggestions.

Remember that brand new technologies as well as imaginative style functions permit several makes use of with regard to certain kinds of water filters. Obtain the greatest Beat for that Buck by using these types of suggestions:

Firm Background

Make sure you…Please…You should…analysis the firm! Necessary components in this case, consequently give thought. Unfortunate however correct, there are plenty associated with duplicate cat as well as unsupported statements created within the water filter refinement business. Choose a firm which appears at the rear of their own item and offers demonstrative proof helping refinement statements.

Water Supply

If your are needed water supply for the camping out activities are usually through fields, streams, ponds or even lakes you might need a far more advanced refinement filtering system. A few water sources include bigger air particle issue and may need pre-filtering water so that you can prolong the actual component lifetime of the filter.

Refinement Requirements – Statements

Will the actual filtering system getting regarded as in accordance with Environmental protection agency requirements or even Process for several makes use of? May be the filer ranked in order to ANSI/NSF 53 requirements? Exactly what pollutants will the actual filter remove or even decrease as well as do you know the percentages getting said? Essential factors right here, therefore give consideration… this can be a health and wellbeing thought.

Simplicity of use

Camping out through the majority of meanings is really a leisure exercise. Therefore, let us not really load the camping hobbies through picking a Camping out Water Filter that’s hard as well as time intensive to make use of. Think about such things as mobility, compactness as well as assemblage. Many people neglect launching the water supply. May be the filtration system the gravity Best Launching kind or even can it need Stress Loading through a good external filter? A few filters are merely the deal in order to fill up by having an inner adsorption filtration system.

It can be very frustrating when you  turn your central air conditioner on for the first time or when you get home and it is 90 degrees in your home and it does not work.  Thoughts of why now, when will it be fixed, what can it be, and how much will it cost all come flooding into your head.

The good news is that not every problem is an expensive problem.  In fact some of the solutions can be performed by you the homeowner.  Below is a list of some common air conditioner repairs.

• Tripped Breaker – This is one of the number one reasons why your a/c does not turn on.  It is common for homeowners to turn the breaker off in the winter to prevent it from starting accidentally.  Check your breaker box and see if the switch labeled A/C is off.  This is usually a big switch.  Flip it on and see if your a/c will turn on.  Be patient as it sometimes takes a while to start once this switch is turned back on.

• Dirty Filter – The filter in your furnace has a huge impact on the effectiveness and operation of your air conditioner.  This filter being plugged will reduce the amount of air flow thus freezing up the coil in the duct work.  Your a/c will stop cooling even though the fan is running.  You will need to shut your a/c off and let the fan run for a couple of hours if you find your filter is plugged.  Make sure you replace the filter.

• Switch Turned Off – Some units have what looks like a light switch attached to the furnace.  This sometimes gets bumped and turned to the off position.  Flip the switch to the up position and your unit should start.

• Thermostat – Most thermostats have a heat/cool switch.  Check to make sure your system has been switched to cool.

• Clogged Drain Line – Air Conditioners pull moisture out of humid air while lowering the temperature.  This process results in water dripping into a pan that then goes out a tube that leads to a drain.  This drain may become plugged over time  and will either drain into your furnace or shut down your system.  Clearing out this line is usually done during a clean and tune of your furnace or air conditioner.

These are some of the very basic problems that may occur that prevent your central air conditioner from operating correctly.  Other problems such as Refrigerant Leak, Contactor, Dirty Evaporator Coil, Dirty Condenser Coil and Duct Leaks will require a service visit from your favorite HVAC contractor.

Scheduling a spring air conditioner check is a smart money and comfort decision.  Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air has flexible maintenance plans and air conditioner checks to keep you cool and save you money.

ACCA filed comments yesterday on the Department of Energy’s rulemaking on energy conservation standards for residential furnaces. The DOE is taking comments from stakeholders and will publish a final rule by May 1, 2011.

Under a court order, the DOE is reconsidering a final rule published in November 2007 that set a new AFUE rating standard for gas furnaces at 80% effective in 2015. Several states and environmental organizations challenged the final rule, arguing that DOE did not raise the standard enough over the current AFUE rating of 78% to achieve maximum improvement in energy efficiency that is technologically feasible and economically justified. Last year, the DOE and the plaintiffs voluntarily agreed to reopen the rulemaking process and set aside the lawsuit.

Since the original final rule in November 2007, the DOE has been authorized by Congress through the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) to consider regional standards for furnaces, central air conditioners, and heat pumps. EISA also directed DOE to incorporate standby mode and off mode energy use as part of its energy use calculations.

Most of the issues in the rulemaking effect the manufactures of furnaces. However, several key issues raised in the Rulemaking Analysis Plan directly impact contractors. In all, DOE requested comments on 28 different issues.

ACCA’s comments focused on the issue of regional standards and enforcement and the economic impacts of requiring condensing furnaces in states more than 5000 Heating Degree Days. The DOE will not set up an enforcement mechanism until after this rule is published.

The comments are reprinted below.

———

Comments of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America
NOPM for Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Furnaces

EE-2009-BT-STD-0022
RIN 1904-AC06

For more than forty years, the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) has served the educational, policy, and technical interests of the nation’s small businesses who design, install, and maintain indoor environmental systems. ACCA has a longstanding history of supporting efforts to encourage energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings. Every day, thousands of ACCA members help homeowners and building managers realize the comfort, convenience, and cost benefits of energy efficient heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) equipment.

As the leading national trade association representing HVACR contractors, ACCA is pleased to submit the following comments in response to the Department of Energy’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on energy conservation standards for residential furnaces.

ACCA’s comments are organized in response to the twenty-eight issues on which DOE sought comments in the Rulemaking Analysis Plan (RAP) published on March 11, 2010.

Issue 1 – The Consensus Agreement
ACCA was not involved in the development on nor was a signatory to the joint comment (Consensus Agreement) submitted to DOE by the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), Alliance to Save Energy (ASE), Appliance Standards Awareness Project (ASAP), Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership (NEEP).

Regarding the Consensus Agreement as a whole only for the purposed of this section, ACCA  provides the following comments.

a. Minimum Standards and Condensing Furnace Concerns
The consensus agreement proposes minimum annualized fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) rating of 90% in the North region and a minimum AFUE of 80% in the South.

ACCA has concerns about a blanket requirement for condensing furnaces in the North region, as prescribed in the Consensus Agreement. In a recent ACCA member survey on requiring condensing furnaces in the North region, a majority of all respondents said that 15-30% of furnace retrofits would only accommodate non-condensing furnaces due to vent path issues or concerns about freezing condensate. Many of the survey respondents voiced apprehension about venting in town homes or condominiums or in situations where the condensate can accumulate in an attic and freeze. In some cases, the cost of replacing a non-condensing furnace with a condensing furnace would prove to be prohibitive due to retrofit measures. While in other cases, the required venting practices contemplated would not be allowed under local covenants.

b. Consensus Agreement Map
The Consensus Agreement and the RAP propose identical regional standard maps consisting of two regions approximately based on a threshold of 5000 heating degree-days (HDD). States with more than 5000 HDD would encompass the North region and require a higher minimum energy conservation standard from the rest of the states. In some parts of the country, the densely populated counties and metropolitan areas that sit close to the region borders may provide opportunities for non-compliance. One example is the area where the New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland state borders come together near the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area, home to nearly six million residents. Another is the Cincinnati-Middletown Metropolitan Statistical Area along the border of Southeastern Ohio and Southwestern Indiana and Northern Kentucky. Finally, much of West Virginia, a state located in the North region with a minimum 90% AFUE standard, lies adjacent to or to the south of states identified in the South region.

Issue 2 – Combined Rulemaking
ACCA sees no added benefit in combining the rulemakings for the residential furnaces, residential central air conditioners and heat pumps, and furnaces fans under review.

Issue 3 – DOE Proposed Regions
Like the Consensus Agreement, DOE is proposing to create one base region and one more stringent region. As noted in the comments for Issue 1, ACCA concerns are related to enforcement along the borders of the proposed regions.

Issue 4 – Regional Standards Enforcement
a. This rulemaking is especially significant to the contractors of the HVACR industry who install, maintain, and service residential furnaces because now the Department of Energy has the authority to set regional energy efficiency standards for these appliances. The adoption of regional standards will change how energy efficiency standards are enforced. Under the single, national minimum energy efficiency standard currently in place, compliance is tested and enforced at the point of manufacture or import. Under regional standards, DOE will have to apply a second test on equipment at the point of installation and enforce non-compliance.

Since installers are typically the last entity “holding the box” in the supply chain, ACCA members are very concerned about how regional standards will be created and enforced. This goes beyond the potential responsibilities, liabilities, and burdens of enforcement. ACCA is also concerned that a failed enforcement policy will give an unfair advantage to contractors who knowingly sells and installs equipment that is illegal.

ACCA’s comments on proposed regional standards enforcement methods outlined in the RAP are summarized in the Joint Public Statement of HARDI-AHRI-ACCA presented at the public hearing on March 31, 2010. ACCA will continue to work to recommend a reasonable solution to the issue of enforcement.

Issue 16 – Impact of Regional Standards
DOE’s assumption that new compliance costs related to regional standards will increase the contractor markups to the homeowner are valid. These costs will vary depending on the necessary measures to retrofit an installation for a condensing furnace. ACCA urges the DOE to seriously consider the full impact on the installation costs when contractors must replace a non-condensing furnace with a condensing furnace. As noted, a recent ACCA member survey on requiring condensing furnaces in the North region found a majority of all respondents said that 15-30% of furnace retrofits would only accommodate non-condensing furnaces due to vent path issues or concerns about freezing condensate.

DOE seeks further comment on how the impacts of regional standards on furnace and contractors are different than those in the central air conditioner and heat pump market. The necessary time to perform a retrofit for a condensing furnace will reflect higher costs and more labor than for central air conditioner and heat pump retrofits.
 
Issue 20 – Installation Costs and Maintenance and Repair CostsOnce again, ACCA urges the DOE to seriously consider the full impact on the installation costs when contractors must replace a non-condensing furnace with a condensing furnace.

Designing within the MCAD environment using Concurrent CFD shortens the design lifecycle, enhancing workflow leading to optimal more robust designs.

In order to ensure an even distribution of hot water to the radiators in a system you’ll need to ‘balance the system’. Often the radiators near to the boiler/pump would tend to be warmer than the radiators further away, balancing the system will even out the flow of the hot water. To do this we use the lockshield valve which is normally hidden under a push on cover at one end of the radiator. Adjusting these valves will regulate the flow of water to the radiator. By partially closing the valves, flow to the radiators nearest the boiler can be more limited than to those further away. To reduce the water temperature at the outlet pipe, the lock shield is closed; to increase the temperature the valve is opened up.

The idea is to get temperature drop across each radiator to be about 12   (20  ). The easiest way to measure the temperature drop across the radiators is to use a set of radiator thermometers. These clamp-on thermometers have springs which hook around the inlet and outlet pipes of a radiator. They can be found at any DIY story.Before you begin make sure the system is turned off and let the water cool down.Open the lock shield valve and the control valve using an adjustable spanner closed small. This is the valve you use to turn the radiator on and off. Fit the radiator thermometers to the Inlet and Outlet pipes of the radiator which is nearest  to the boiler and switch the heating back on.Close the lockshield valve on the first radiator to almost closed, as the temperature of the systems comes up, gradually open up the valve until the temperature difference between the two radiator thermometers is about Move the thermometers to the next radiator away from the boiler. Close down the lockshield valve and adjust it until the temperature difference increases to about 12  (the temperature difference will probably start at less than 12 degrees as both valves are fully open).

If you repeat this for all of them in order, you should have a balanced system so that all radiators heat up efficiently. Once the radiators in a system have been balanced, the valves should not need to be adjusted again unless the radiators or the pipes are changed.

The Author is a building inspector and he got permition from immigration NZ to stay in Auckland for one year. he is planning to rental cars and travel around NZ for taking pictures for landscape auckland.

In order to ensure an even distribution of hot water to the radiators in a system you’ll need to ‘balance the system’. Often the radiators near to the boiler/pump would tend to be warmer than the radiators further away, balancing the system will even out the flow of the hot water. To do this we use the lockshield valve which is normally hidden under a push on cover at one end of the radiator. Adjusting these valves will regulate the flow of water to the radiator. By partially closing the valves, flow to the radiators nearest the boiler can be more limited than to those further away. To reduce the water temperature at the outlet pipe, the lock shield is closed; to increase the temperature the valve is opened up.

The idea is to get temperature drop across each radiator to be about 12   (20  ). The easiest way to measure the temperature drop across the radiators is to use a set of radiator thermometers. These clamp-on thermometers have springs which hook around the inlet and outlet pipes of a radiator. They can be found at any DIY story.Before you begin make sure the system is turned off and let the water cool down.Open the lock shield valve and the control valve using an adjustable spanner closed small. This is the valve you use to turn the radiator on and off. Fit the radiator thermometers to the Inlet and Outlet pipes of the radiator which is nearest  to the boiler and switch the heating back on.Close the lockshield valve on the first radiator to almost closed, as the temperature of the systems comes up, gradually open up the valve until the temperature difference between the two radiator thermometers is about Move the thermometers to the next radiator away from the boiler. Close down the lockshield valve and adjust it until the temperature difference increases to about 12  (the temperature difference will probably start at less than 12 degrees as both valves are fully open).

If you repeat this for all of them in order, you should have a balanced system so that all radiators heat up efficiently. Once the radiators in a system have been balanced, the valves should not need to be adjusted again unless the radiators or the pipes are changed.

The Author is a building inspector and he got permition from immigration NZ to stay in Auckland for one year. he is planning to rental cars and travel around NZ for taking pictures for landscape auckland.

The Copenhagen Wheel – Coast Uphill!

MIT researchers displayed the “Copenhagen Wheel” at the Copenhagen summit. The Copenhagen Wheel (look for a quick re-brand soon) is a revolutionary new bicycle wheel that not only boosts power, but can keep track of friends, fitness, smog and traffic. Though it looks like an ordinary bicycle wheel with an oversized center, the Wheel’s bright red hub is a veritable Swiss army knife’s worth of electronic gadgets and novel functions.

“Over the past few years we have seen a kind of biking renaissance, which started in Copenhagen and has spread from Paris to Barcelona to Montreal,” says Carlo Ratti, director of the MIT SENSEable City Laboratory and the Copenhagen Wheel project. “It’s sort of like ‘Biking 2.0′ — whereby cheap electronics allow us to augment bikes and convert them into a more flexible, on-demand system.”

The first goal of the Copenhagen Wheel project is to promote cycling by extending the range of distance people can cover and by making the whole riding experience smoother so that even steep inclines are no longer a barrier to comfortable cycling.

Toward this end, the Wheel can store energy every time the rider puts on the brakes, and then give that power back to provide a boost when riding uphill or to add a burst of speed in traffic.

“The Wheel uses a technology similar to the KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System), which has radically changed Formula One racing over the past couple of years,” says Ratti. “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.”

“Our city’s ambition is that 50 percent of the citizens will take their bike to work or school every day,” says Ritt Bjerregaard, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen. “So for us, this project is part of the answer to how can we make using a bike even more attractive.”

But there are also a variety of extra functions hidden within the hub of the Copenhagen Wheel. By using a series of sensors and a Bluetooth connection to the user’s iPhone, which can be mounted on the handlebars, the wheel 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.

“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,” says Christine Outram, who led the team of MIT researchers.

The project also aims to create a platform for individual behavioral change.

“The Copenhagen Wheel is part of a more general trend: that of inserting intelligence in our everyday objects and of creating a smart support infrastructure around ourselves for everyday life,” says Assaf Biderman, associate director of the project. “For example, the Wheel has a smart lock: if somebody tries to steal it, it goes into a mode where the brake regenerates the maximum amount of power, and sends you a text message. So in the worst case scenario the thief will have charged your batteries before you get back your bike.”

The initial prototypes of the Copenhagen Wheel were developed along with company Ducati Energia and the Italian Ministry of the Environment. It is expected that the wheel will go into production next year, with a tag price competitive with that of a standard electric bike. According to Claus Juhl, CEO of Copenhagen, the city might place the first order and use bicycles retrofitted with the Copenhagen Wheel as a substitution for city employee cars as part of the city’s goal to become the world’s first carbon-neutral capital by 2025.

More at: MIT

(Thanks Tucker!)