The Invisible Bike Helmet Can Save Your Life While You Still Look Cool

I don't know about you, but when I was a teen riding my bike around the streets of Los Angeles in the 90s, I did so without wearing a helmet, even though it was against California law. Sure, I've gotten a couple of tickets, and I knew I'd be better protected if I wore a helmet, but I didn't because...have you seen how ugly and uncool bicycle helmets look!? I wasn't about to ruin my hard-earned high school cool cred just to, like, not get brain damage if I were to ever get rear-ended by a car.

Well, teens today will soon have no such worries, because a couple of brilliant Swedish designers have invented what is being called "the invisible bike helmet."

It's not exactly invisible, it's just collapsable and inflatable -- like a car's airbag -- and sits around your neck like a scarf. When the helmet, named the Hövding helmet, detects impact or unusual shift in gravity, the airbag pops open.

Here's a video:

http://youtu.be/d7Oud3iGXWY

The thing operates on rechargeable battery (charged via USB), is waterproof, and most importantly of all -- doesn't look ugly.