It may sound crass, but the fact is there are several reasons people don’t like wearing bicycle helmets. They make you look ridiculous, first and foremost. They’re also very cumbersome, both while being worn and not. Meanwhile, at the forefront of the hipster, cycling and infinity scarf trends are the Swedes – kismet for inventing an invisible bicycle helmet.

Design students Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin are co-creators of the Hövding. It’s kind of a fitted scarf with a zipper along the throat that secures it in place. When engaged, it releases an airbag in the shape of an old B-movie spacesuit helmet. It has the same life-saving capabilities of a normal bike helmet but only makes you look stupid for a few seconds.

To create such an object was Haupt and Alstin’s daunting final project at university. As motivation, they looked at the idea of the Hovding as “a symbol of ‘the impossible.'” Owning one is now possible, although the $540 price tag may make it difficult.

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Riding a bike in the city is hard enough, but riding at night can be all kinds of dangerous. There are lights that you can attach to your handlebars, lighted gloves that you can use to signal turns, and even a smart backpack that will alert motorists to your presence and intentions. But the DORA helmet concept from designer Balázs Filczer combines all of these concepts and makes them even better.

The helmet contains lights from all angles. Turn signals adorn the sides so that when you’re about to make a turn everyone around you knows to get ready for your move. A light in front illuminates your path wherever you go, even when you aren’t riding your bike.

The rear light is your brake light, as you might expect. This and all of the lights on the helmet are controlled via a small Bluetooth control on your bike’s handlebars.

Atop the helmet, a rechargeable battery powers all of the lights. The DORA is a remarkably intelligent helmet that could save countless lives by reducing the top reason for car-on-bike accidents: low visibility.

The post Ultra-Visible Bike Helmet With a Bevy of Safety Signals first appeared on Gajitz.