Boston-based Parlee Cycles is working on a concept bicycle which will reportedly feature brain-controlled gear shifting. Under development as part of the Toyota Prius Projects, the PXP as it's officially known, sits somewhere between a time-trial bicycle and a road bike in terms of geometry and the design uses carbon fiber to minimize the weight and maintain its rigidity.

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The PXP project began in April 2011 when early sketches were first unveiled by Parlee Cycles. The bike has recently been put through wind tunnel testing and the think-to-shift technology is being developed by Deeplocal studio. This system would use neurotransmitters in the helmet to measure brainwaves and, via a wireless transmitter attached to the seat post, use them to operate an electronic gear shift.

At this stage the system is being controlled by a smartphone, but using thought-control isn't as far-fetched as it sounds (Toyota has already worked on brain-controlled wheelchair) and strikes us as a useful application of increasingly accessible ECG technology.

The progress of the PXP project is being followed in weekly updates from US-based cycling blogger John Watson of ProllyisnotProbably.com.