Wheel of change

Conceived and developed by the the SENSEable City Lab for the Kobenhavns Kommune, the Copenhagen Wheel would have debuted on December 15th at the COP15 United Nations Climate Conference. If you haven't heard about it (I hadn't), it's probably because all murmurs of approval must have drowned under the heated debates at the conference and the loud protests on the streets.
While the wheel may not become a missionary for the environment (yet), converting the heathen motorists to religiously start cycling to whereever they can; but it definitely takes cycling to its next generation. The Nike Plus equivalent for cyclists; it allows you to send and store information in your smart phones, mapping pollution levels, traffic congestion and road conditions in real time. While the wheel itself allows you to capture the energy dissipated while cycling and braking and use it when you feel your energy levels dipping.
"SENSE AND SUSTAINABILITY
Controlled through your smart phone, the Copenhagen Wheel becomes
a natural extension of your everyday life. You can use your phone to unlock and
lock your bike, change gears and select how much the motor assists you.
As you cycle, the wheel’s sensing unit is also capturing your effort level and
information about your surroundings, including road conditions, carbon monoxide,
NOx, noise, ambient temperature and relative humidity. Access this data
through your phone or the web and use it to plan healthier bike routes,
to achieve your exercise goals or to meet up with friends on the go.
You can also share your data with friends, or with your city - anonymously
if you wish – thereby contributing to a fine-grained database of
environmental information from which we can all benefit."