澳门六合彩 Professors and Students Wheel Out New Cycle
A cycle built for two debuted on the Roger Williams campus this spring
![Professor demonstrates operating cycle.](/sites/default/files/styles/660x371/public/news-article/article-image/Companion%20Bike%20460x307.jpg?itok=oS18qdAN)
BRISTOL, R.I. 鈥 This isn鈥檛 your grandfather鈥檚 bicycle built for two.
This is the Companion Cycle, an electric-power-assisted three-wheeled cycle built for two 鈥 with the passenger positioned in front of the person providing the pedal power.
It was designed by Roger Williams University Professor of Criminal Justice Chris Menton, who has conducted ground-breaking research on police bicycle patrols. And it was built by nine 澳门六合彩 engineering students who worked on it as their senior project under the direction of Assistant Professor of Engineering William Palm.
鈥淚 like to facilitate experiential learning,鈥 Menton said. 鈥淭he students learned that they can develop alternative means of transportation. And they get to understand the physics of a bicycle.鈥
The prototype of the Companion Cycle includes the frame of a Giant road bike, and the rear tire is a Copenhagen Wheel, which provides an electronic boost while sensing steeper terrain and how hard the rider is pedaling.
Menton said he waited three years to get a Copenhagen Wheel, which is patented by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and produced by Superpedestrian, based in Cambridge, Mass. The wheel鈥檚 lithium battery can remain charged for 30 minutes or more, depending on whether there鈥檚 a passenger, and riders can generate electricity by pedaling backward.
While pedicabs place passengers behind the bike rider, the Companion Cycle puts the passenger seat in front on the handle bars. The prototype features a comfortable red-and-black go-kart seat for the passenger, complete with a seat belt.
Menton, who lives in Bristol and commutes on the Companion Cycle, said he has taken passengers up steep hills in town, and it feels like he鈥檚 riding on flat ground. The Copenhagen Wheel is controlled by a mobile phone app, and it can be set to provide varying degrees of assistance: economy, standard and turbo.
Like your grandfather鈥檚 bicycle built for two, the Companion Cycle can bring people together. 鈥淧eople should be talking to each other,鈥 Menton said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 tough to have a conversation when you鈥檙e on separate bikes. And we鈥檙e in a world where people often have their heads down, looking at screens.鈥
Wherever it goes, the Companion Cycle often gets people talking. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a novelty,鈥 Menton said. 鈥淚t starts conversations. It鈥檚 a people magnet.鈥
And it has practical applications. 鈥淚t can be used by a person who can鈥檛 afford a car -- to get groceries, to do laundry,鈥 Menton said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a nice urban tool. And it can be used by people who are too old to ride a regular bicycle, who might lose their balance.鈥
Looking ahead, Menton sees more development possibilities for the Companion Cycle, such as adjustments in materials and mechanics. He said he鈥檇 like to get more people to try to the cycle, either as a pedaler or a passenger, and to chronicle their reactions.
If you are on 澳门六合彩鈥檚 Bristol campus and would like to try the Companion Cycle, contact Professor Menton at pmenton@rwu.edu.