Bluetooth-enabled bicycle has automatic gearbox
(Phys.org)—Oh, no. Not another reason to count your smartphone blessings? To feel so lucky to have a phone loaded with accelerometer and GPS? Oh, yes. Engineers at UK-based Cambridge Consultants have developed electronic automatic gear shifting for bikes, in a system that relies on smartphones. The company has been working on a wireless automatic gearbox that does the gear-changing, not the rider. The system is controlled by an app on a handlebar-mounted iPhone, Also part of the system is a Shimano Di2 electronic gear-shifting system for road bicycles, wheel rotation sensors that reveal road speed, and a pedaling (cadence) sensor. This prototype is not yet in the shops, and has no estimated pricetag, but its creators would be interested in business partners.