If cycling helmets weren't so bulky to carry around, it's entirely possible that more people would actually use the things. That's why British cyclists Josh Cohen and Dom Cotton invented the Cyclo, which features a unique "flipclip" design.
Made of recycled ocean-trash plastic, the Cyclo is worn like a normal helmet (albeit a shell-less and foam-less one) when the cyclist is on the road.
Once it's time to tuck it away in a bag or backpack, though, the user presses a button on its rear end. This releases an internal mechanism, which allows the top "dome" part of the helmet to swivel around laterally (it pivots at the front and back), so it nests upside-down within the helmet's bottom section.
It then occupies significantly less bag-space than it would otherwise. When the user wants to get riding again, they just flip the dome back up, and it locks into place. Once the helmet reaches production, it should reportedly surpass EU and US safety standards.
Plans call for the Cyclo to be the subject of an Indiegogo campaign, launching on June 26th. Pledges will start at £25 (about US$32) for one helmet. It's demonstrated in the video below.
For examples of other bike helmets that transform in order to take up less room, check out the push-in LID, the push-down Fuga, the fold-up Morpher, the armadillo-like Overade, the accordion-like Fend, the collapsible Park & Diamond, or the squishy Headkayse.
Source: Cyclo Technology