Baidu introduces smart bike

Chinese tech company Baidu is launching a smart bike that can help you make friends and exercise effectively, and it shuns thefts.

The Dubike's new official website shows its features in detail. Using a Dubike app, one can crowdsource a riding map and interact with other biking fellows. The Dubike collects health-related data through sensors on the bike; it can sync the data with the user's smartphone, and provide workout guidance.

A navigation system guides the biker with indicator lights on the handlebars. With built-in GPS, the Dubike reports its position to the user's smartphone whenever needed - a feature that comes in handy in case of bike theft.

All the electric systems on the Dubike are charged by riding the bike.

The Dubike is jointly developed by Baidu's Institute of Deep Learning and Tsinghua University. It will be ready for official launch as early as the end of this year, according to TechWeb.com.cn.

Baidu's Institute of Deep Learning focuses on the research of machine learning algorithms, big data analysis, and cloud computing.

Baidu is developing a smart bike called Dubike. [Photo/dubike.baidu.com]