SHIFT- but how, it has no gears!

The SHIFT Tricycle designed at Purdue University helps children gradually learn how to balance by providing two rear wheels that change angle as speed is increased.  When the child starts out, the back wheels provide a wider base for extra stability, and as the newbie builds momentum the wheels shift towards parallel, putting more of the balance responsibility on the child. 
Since this is just a concept, I’m not quite sure how well the tricycle handles, how it maneuvers corners, or what happens when you slam on the breaks (are the wheels able to shift back or do they stop at parallel?).  Aside from these questions, the trike seems pretty cool.

With 853 entrants from 56 countries, the SHIFT design won first prize at the International Bicycle Design Competition in Taipei, Taiwan back in 2004.  Not bad considering it’s not even a bicycle. 
The Design was created by Purdue industrial design professor Scott Shim and two students, Ryan Lightbody and Matt Grossman; none of which had ever designed a bicycle (or tricycle) before. 

The trike, “provides more balance at lower speeds when stability is most critical” explains Shim.  Despite the concept that seems like it should have been made years ago, we’re still waiting for a manufacturer to put this thing into production.  Perhaps they’re all scrambling to work around the patent and capitalize on their own adaptation of this great concept.