Curriculum Neuroscience, Technology and Society, XXXVII series  Grant sponsor PON Supervisor s Antonio Paoli Contact alessandro.sampieri@studenti.unipd.it

Project description
E.P.H.E.S.U.S. is a project created on the one hand to reduce the high rate of air pollution and on the other hand to improve people’s health by pedalling an intelligent electrical bicycle (e-bikes). The massive use of cars involves not only noise and traffic hazards, but also carbon emissions which pollute the air. As a result, there is an increased risk for pathologies including heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer. Therefore, e-bikes could represent a way to promote green sustainable transportation in order to face urban congestion and pollution problems. E-bikes provide electrical assistance only when the bike rider is pedalling, thus they are partly human-powered. In this sense, e-bikes may play a role in reducing the sedentary lifestyle of many adults and adolescents. To achieve these goals, the project aims to develop a new intelligent interface technology which will allow to measure some significant physiological parameters (e.g., heart rate, blood glucose…) and then communicate these data directly to the e-bike computer. As a result, it will be possible to optimize physical effort, decreasing fatigue sensation, and improving exercise compliance. Consequently, the engine power will be designed to adapt to the user’s abilities. I will evaluate the impact of using e-bikes’ in terms of health outcomes and I will evaluate the reduced environmental impact in terms of air pollution and urban congestion that e-bikes can generate compared to motorized vehicles. This system will also calculate the fastest and least busy route to avoid the roads with the highest pollution rate. E-bikes will be more than just a physical activity equipment and could radically transform the way smart city-goers get around.