Connected Cycle passes $50,000 Indiegogo goal in just a day

CES does bring us some innovative contraptions (of course, along with its fair share of trite), and the Connected Cycle was one such nifty design. Envisioned as the world’s first smart pedal module, the device can be connected to any existing bike, thus transforming your human-powered vehicle into a smart one. This essentially endows your previously ‘dumb’ bike with enviable features like built-in motion sensors, GPS and even fitness tracking technology. And, now beyond just talking the talk, the designers have now gloriously walked the walk by unveiling their crowdfunded Indiegogo campaign that has blisteringly met its goal of $50,000 in just one day (as of writing the post, they have raised over $89,000).

Just to make a gist, as we had previously discussed back in January – the first and foremost feature of the Connected Cycle would pertain to its movement detection system. In other words, the sensors can help the user in case of a theft by instantly notifying him/her when the bike is being moved. The scope is made even more advantageous with the integration of GPS and cellular connection that allows the user to track the bike by specifying the distance and location traveled ‘inconspicuously’ by the vehicle.

The motional tracking ability is complemented by the WiFi connectivity of the smart pedal that is useful for linking to a specialized cloud platform (for both iOS or Android). This net-based platform can compile a range of biker-oriented data, including the route, distance covered, speed evolution curve, incline curve and even calories burned for every single trip. The good news is – all of the info can be collected without draining your smartphone’s precious battery since the pedal incorporates both a cellular chip system and integrated SIM card. And finally, the ‘piece de resistance’ of the Connected Cycle would relate to its self-powered credentials, with its ability to generate power from the kinetic energy of pedaling.

As for the commercial side of affairs, the first batch of the Connected Cycle smart pedals are expected to be shipped in the holiday season of this year, with classic packs coming with $149 price tags (each purchase will include two pedals, with one consisting of the electronic paraphernalia, and the other ‘blank’ one matching its partner).