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Bike helmets are the latest product to get the 'smart' upgrade.

A team of students has devised a helmet with built-in sensors and smartphone functionality to provide data after a crash.

The so-called 'black box' helmet can also call emergency services, talk to the cyclist and provide hands-free calling.

Students at Oregon State University and Intel have devised a 'smart' bike helmet (shown) that collects data during a crash. The 'black box' has accelerometers and sensors to work out what happened. It also records the rider's distance, speed and direction at all times

The helmet was devised by students at Oregon State University in partnership with Intel.

Its potentially live-saving features include accelerometers, speakers, a microphone and an LED headlamp.

Together the features provide the rider with information while cycling, or data in the event of an accident.

In the event of a crash the helmet will also talk to the rider and ask if they are okay.

If they say 'yes' or fail to respond, emergency services will be contacted on their behalf.

Using a synced smartphone as well, the rider can be put through a few quick medical tests to see if they might be badly hurt.

All of the data from the crash can then be studied after to understand what happened.

The helmet syncs with an app that can provide medical questions to the rider after a crash or call emergency services by asking the rider questions via a speaker (shown above the LED headlamp). And the helmet can also play music or allow for hands-free calling

Inside the 3D-printed outer shell is a regular bike helmet (shown). The product is only in the prototype phase at the moment so no potential release date or price has been announced

The helmet syncs with an Android app on smartphones to transfer data.

This includes distance, speed and the direction a rider has taken.

The main feature, though, is to know what happened after a crash.

'If my kids get into a crash, we will never know what happened,' said Abhay Dharmadhikari, a technologist and architect in the Device Development Group for Intel, to Intel Free Press.

'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.

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

In addition the technology built into the helmet, such as the microphone and speakers, it has other functions too.

For example, the speakers can be used to play music without covering the rider's ears or for hands-free calling.

The circuitry is stored in the back of the helmet (the white section in the image above). The technology built into the helmet, such as the microphone and speakers, has other functions as well. For example, the speakers can be used to play music without covering the rider's ears or for hands-free calling.

The product, recently shown off by the students involved, is only in the prototype phase at the moment so no potential release date or price has been announced