Mechanical engineer Brian Major has invented a bicycle that doesn’t pedal for you but pedals with you.
Major is trying to change transportation by powering automobiles with the sun and wind through his Colibris Alternative Vehicles.
“It is like a bionic extension of you,” he said.
His invention will help people trying to climb a hill on a bicycle by sensing that person is having a hard time. The computer will kick in and do the rest of the work, said Barry Major, the creator’s father.
While riding a bike with a heavy wind, the computer will sense the rider pushing harder, and the battery will kick in, he said.
Major knows a woman who rides over the Main Street Bridge everyday and has to get off her bike and walk the rest of the way. This invention will help her a lot, he said.
Major invented the bike so the computer inside the wheels will sense when the rider is having to strain to pedal.
The computer can detect when the rider is struggling, Major said. Users can program the bike to do 80 percent of the work while they do the remaining 20 percent, he said.