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If you’re a cyclist, you’ll want to pay close attention to some of the latest trends  in bike helmets.  Driven by innovations in other activities, including firefighting and football,   cyclists are now safer than ever with inventive new takes on cranial armor.  We all know helmets can be bulky, uncomfortable, and worst of all – ugly. So, courtesy of Cassandra Daily, here are some lids worth a look.

Hövding: Helmet hair can be a source of anguish, which means that too many cyclists  ride without skull protection. So, to keep tresses perfectly coiffed while still protecting riders, Swedish industrial designers Terese Alstin and Anna Haupt developed the Hövding, a bike helmet that stays nearly invisible until activation. The device is disguised as a collar and is equipped with sensors that detect when an accident is imminent, upon which it inflates into an airbag that surrounds the head within 0.1 seconds. Speaking to the vanity of its audience, the collar’s shell can be switched out with an increasing array of colors, patterns, and fabrics. You can buy a Hövding for about $500.

LunaHelm: Cyclists, unlike drivers who have blinkers to indicate turns, are often left to communicate via hand signals. Luckily, a team from RMIT University’s Exertion Games Lab in Melbourne, Australia is developing a helmet, called the LumaHelm, that gives riders a more visible way to signal turns. LED lights, which are plugged into to an Arduino Uno circuit board to allow for individual control, blanket the helmet’s surface. A built-in accelerometer calculates motion through head movements that generate different light signals. For example, a forward head tilt lights up the left side of the helmet to signify a turn, while a backwards tilt triggers red lights to signify breaking.

All-Weather Motorcycle Helmet: As the changing seasons bring on more extreme elements across much of the world, gear that keeps cyclists toasty becomes essential. Portland-based designer Bob Averill, whose previous projects include the underwater hamster colony Hampture, recently created the All-Weather Motorcycle Helmet. Made from ordinary Vega headgear, the product’s lining is outfitted with a lithium battery-powered heating element, as well as a solar panel-powered evaporative cooler for when summer approaches once again. Unfortunately, despite piqued interest around the web, riders will have to remain patient for now, as Kickstarter rejected the project and Averill is pursuing new avenues to production.

Yakkay:  Want a new look? Don’t change your helmet, just change the cover. The design awarded concept makes your look personal and stylish. It is no coincidence that Yakkay was founded in Denmark. The fact that the people of Denmark are among the most bike-riding and design-loving people in the world inspired a group of leading Danish designers to initiate the company. Yakkay is tested according to international standards.

What is your favorite helmet? Will try any of these new ones?

Want a new look? Don’t change your helmet, just change the cove

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