While there has been an increased focus on the protection that helmets can provide to the wearer, engineers at the Frauenhofer Institute are also considering how a helmet can also help provide some power for personal electronics. The team has developed a flexible solar panel that is durable enough to be mounted on helmets, and can optimize Bluetooth in the process.
The result is a helmet that can include speakers for a mobile device or music player and use solar cells to get juiced up by the sun, while a battery can ensure that collected power can be saved for those times when the sun might not be shining. The helmets still in prototype but should be arriving later this year.
[Via Ubergizmo: Solar Ski helmet keeps your gadgets charged]