A group of students from Oregon State University developed a smart safety helmet for bicyclists that could potentially save their lives.

The students created the helmet in collaboration with summer Interns at Intel.

The main function of the helmet is to assist cyclists after an accident, to receive emergency medical attention while, of course, protecting the head from any injury.

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The safety helmet uses a logic board that integrates a tiny Intel-made computer called the Intel Edison. The students used 3D printing technology to create the physical shape of the helmet's prototype.

It connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth technology and also contains ear speakers, a microphone, a built-in LED headlamp, a magnetometer, a gyroscope and two accelerometers.

It is powered by a 3.7V, 2600mAh lithium-ion battery. A smartphone and dedicated app acts as an interface.

Dubbed as a "Black Box Helmet", it uses two sensors to detect if a crash has occurred. It automatically collects crash data and sends text message to emergency services by asking users to verify if an accident has occurred.

Users can choose to cancel the notification after a false alarm using voice recognition technology. Data includes time and location of crash.

Technologist and Architect Abhay Dharmadhikari of the Intel Device Development Group mentored the Interns and expressed personal interest in the project.

"If my kids get into a crash, we will never know what happened. Did they hit their heads? Did they get really injured? Because when they come back after biking they just say 'I got hurt,' so we aren't really sure how bad it was," said Abhay Dharmadhikari.

"Could we build something that would help us understand; and if a crash happens, the helmet can act like a black box?"

TagsInten, Intel Device Development Group, Smart Helmet