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Sweden has developed the technology for an “invisible” bike helmet, a device to be worn around the neck and rivaling the idea of vehicle airbags. Within one tenth of a second of impact, an inflatable nylon hood wraps around the head of the user to minimize and even prevent injury.

Terese Alstin and Anna Haupt have been working on the device since 2005 in an attempt to revolutionize helmets and get away from the traditional hard plastic designs. The collar on the “invisible” helmet uses an inbuilt computer, sensors and gyro to monitor a cyclist’s movements more than 200 times per second.

Alstin and Haupt have stated they used professional cyclists to help them simulate every type of accident in order to create an extremely safe and reliable new technology.

How Exactly Does It work?

The collar worn on the rider’s neck uses a small gas canister to inflate the protective hood within milliseconds of sensing a collision. The protective cover remains inflated for several seconds after the initial impact in case the user withstands multiple shots to the head.

Why It’s Important

When speaking on their new helmet, Alstin noted, “It’s actually three or four times better in terms of shock absorbance, and that’s the most important factor. It covers more of the head – including the entire neck – than traditional helmets.”