Superpedestrian Inc., is a transportation robotics company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that develops micromobility technologies for small-scale electric vehicles. The company works with ride-hailing, scooter sharing, and bike sharing companies to improve the safety and reliability of their shared vehicle fleets. Superpedestrian is also the manufacturer of a consumer-facing product known as the Copenhagen Wheel, an electric bicycle wheel that transforms a traditional bicycle into a hybrid e-bike.
History
Superpedestrian's first product, The Copenhagen Wheel, was developed at MIT’s Senseable City Lab in 2009 in partnership with the city of Copenhagen, and unveiled at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference. In December 2012, Assaf Biderman, a co-inventor of the Wheel and Associate Director of the MIT Senseable City Lab, founded Superpedestrian to commercialize the Wheel. After several years of engineering, testing, and validation, the Copenhagen Wheel officially launched in April 2017. In December 2018, the Boston Business Journal reported the company will be shifting their focus and start building electric scooters and supplying the scooter sharing fleet operators such as Bird and Lime.
Products
Fleet Vehicles
Superpedestrian works with ride-hailing, scooter-sharing, and e-bike sharing companies worldwide to provide fleets of small electric vehicles optimized for safety, reliability, and seamless riding experiences. As the industry expands to include e-bikes, scooters, and mopeds, fleet operators contend with the challenges of managing and maintaining large numbers of motorized vehicles. Building on sensing, monitoring, and control systems developed for the Copenhagen Wheel, Superpedestrian's fleet vehicles and Vehicle Intelligence platform offer solutions to common fleet operation problems. Their platform allows operators to remotely monitor fleet health, boost maintenance efficiency, manage user accounts, and improve customer experiences, leading to lower operating costs and increased revenue.
Copenhagen Wheel
The Copenhagen Wheel is a rear wheel electric bicycle system that fits most existing bicycle frames - requiring a metal frame and V-brakes. It replaces an existing rear wheel, transforming the bicycle into a smart electric hybrid/pedelec. The Copenhagen Wheel contains a custom brushless motor, advanced sensors, control systems, and a lithium-ion battery, all contained within the hub of a single rear bicycle wheel. Combining actual torque, power, cadence, pedal position, and acceleration sensing with high-speed controllers and actuators, the Wheel generates power that is seamlessly synchronized with a rider's pedaling. Bluetooth connectivity enables riders to personalize their cycling experience from their smartphone with ride modes such as Turbo, Eco, and Exercise. A smartphone also acts as a digital key, activating the Wheel automatically when ready to ride, and communicating with the cloud in real time. A self-diagnostic safety system monitors components within the Wheel and proactively responds to events within milliseconds, protecting both rider and Wheel. Electronic Braking Assistance allows riders to brake and recharge the battery simultaneously, simply by backpedaling. Finally, with over-the-air updates, the Wheel improves with new features over time. The Copenhagen Wheel is currently available in the continental U.S.. Superpedestrian works with over 260 independent bicycle retailers across the United States to provide demos, maintenance, and installation services.
Link
Link is a shared electric scooter-sharing service made by Superpedestrian Inc. The trial period started in early 2020 in a small town in Florida. It will launch in four cities in the US and in Europe.
