China is increasing its push towards innovation — and that is not a surprise. In order to ensure continuous healthy growth of its economy, the country’s businesses are embarking on increasing number of R&D projects. The latest one I have come across is actually relevant to this blog and my hobby — bicycles and mountain biking.
Baidu (China’s answer to Google) is promoting a new smart bike it plans to release soon. The bike is not motorized (although there are tons of electric bikes in China – and they are really dangerous as they approach pedestrians very silently and lethally) but includes a regenerative technology to support the many sensors and electronics capabilities it offers
The bike offers integrated features like:
- Health guide – based on analytics of combining heart rate, step rate etc sensors and providing feedback to the rider
- Navigation – integrated in the bike handlebars including lights
- Loss prevention – integrated GPS locator card allows you to locate your bike even when you forget where you left it
So, what’s next? Well, I expect some (at least ) of the US designers and manufacturers to jump into the game and offer innovation along the lines of what Baidu is conceptualizing — and design future smart bikes