Thought about thought controlled Bicycle

A bike whose gear shifting is controlled by brainwaves has been developed by Toyota.

http://www.gizmag.com/pxp-aero-road-bike-thought-control/19107/

Seems a waste of time and money to me especially with the speed of shifting with current sti-shifters which can be done so instinctively. Also you must wear a helmet containing neuron transmitters for it to work.

would be a better idea to change gears according to cadence. And a lot easier I'm guessing.

Fairwheel bikes have rigged Dura Ace Di2 to shift sequentially.

Here it is.

This thought from the comments to that article:

And what happens when you see a hot chic in a short dress?
So much for thought controlled gear shifts.

Mr Stiffy -

Then again, normal shifters are already thought controlled.

would be a better idea to change gears according to cadence. And a lot easier I'm guessing.

Indeed, an efficient CVT rear hub which could allow you to pedal at the most efficient cadence would be fantastic.

Then again, normal shifters are already thought controlled.

Why do you think they spent £££ on developing this?
Gear shifting on modern bikes is so instinctive and immediate. Don't get it...
...and will it be considered mechanical doping if used in the TdF?

If you could mind control other people gears then that would be cool

Why do you think they spent £££ on developing this?
Gear shifting on modern bikes is so instinctive and immediate. Don't get it...
...and will it be considered mechanical doping if used in the TdF?

The technology already exists for similar products, thought reading keyboards for example (once again, a very bad idea, especially if your mind gets sidetracked during an important meeting) so I guess they're just transferring it to every application they can think of. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. One of the great things about bikes is their simplicity, let's keep it that way.

If you could mind control other people then that would be cool

.

The automatic gear to match your cadence is the perfect one, once you 'set' your normal cadence (says 90rpm), then everything will be quite like an automatic car.

I highly doubt that'll be used in races, but for commuter, MTB, etc. I can imaging it working well.

Having said that, it may required the used of electronic, and electronic never going to be cheap or as reliable as a good old fashion cable pull derailleur, the fact the current system is easy to tweak and set-up mean there's very little need for such innovation.

Mechanical CVTs have been around for a long time and are very simple mechanisms. It's just a case of getting them light and effecient enough to be used for cycling.

^ NuVinci. Although it's hardly light.

Anyway. It's a concept, not a marketable innovation. It doesn't matter if it doesn't work in practice the first time around - it's just a test-bed to see if the technology could be refined and put to use (perhaps not for gear shifting, perhaps not even on a bicycle). I'm sure the first time Mr. Benz showed off his automobile, a lot of people said 'Well, horses are faster, cheaper and more reliable, so this 'car' thing is a waste of time'.

'Thought about thought controlled bicycle'

Yo dawg, we heard you liked metacognition

^ NuVinci. Although it's hardly light.

Anyway. It's a concept, not a marketable innovation. It doesn't matter if it doesn't work in practice the first time around - it's just a test-bed to see if the technology could be refined and put to use (perhaps not for gear shifting, perhaps not even on a bicycle). I'm sure the first time Mr. Benz showed off his automobile, a lot of people said 'Well, horses are faster, cheaper and more reliable, so this 'car' thing is a waste of time'.

They've used CVTs in cars with quite a bit of success, even F1 cars until it was banned. I'm fairly sure it will eventually become a viable option for bikes in the future though.

. I'm sure the first time Mr. Benz showed off his automobile, a lot of people said 'Well, BIKES are faster, cheaper and more reliable, so this 'car' thing is a waste of time'.

They were right!
And who doesn't love metacognition

Wow, what happen when you see a hot chick!? So much for gear control.

Use my brain? Helmet?

This thought from the comments to that article:

 [QUOTE]And what happens when you see a hot chic in a short dress? 

So much for thought controlled gear shifts.
Mr Stiffy -[/quote]

Wow, what happen when you see a hot chick!? So much for gear control.

depends what you want to do with his hot chick. Follow and race her and you automatically gear up, slow down and oggle then you'll gear down

I really don;t get the point of this for a bicycle which is so simple to operate gears with little effort with mind or body.

How about a brainwave operated car which cuts in when the driver is not focussed on driving (Like on the mobile phone, seeing a hot chick or guy, road rage, on drugs or booze) it immobilses the car till the driver gets with it.

I'm going to switch my brain off and rejoice in my redundancy

I'm going to switch my brain off and rejoice in my redundancy

Oh dear, sorry to hear that. I had the same 3 months ago.

Just remember... Don't worry. Do cycle.