Sweden might not be the first country you think of when it comes to motorcycle innovation, but a company called Airbag Inside Sweden AB (whom you may be familiar with as Mo'Cycle) is quietly making a case for why it should be. Known in niche circles for its earlier work on safety gear, the firm has now filed a wild new patent that reimagines what protective riding gear could look and feel like.
And if it works the way it’s described, it could change everything.
At first glance, this invention looks like any other riding outfit. A jacket, a pair of boots, maybe even just jeans. But hidden beneath those seemingly ordinary garments is a full-body inflatable system designed to activate in the event of a crash. Not just a chest airbag or a neck brace, but full-on inflatable armor for your legs, feet, arms, and even the sides of your head.
Oh yes, those jeans are actually part of the tech. The patent specifically mentions them.
The story goes back almost two decades, when the inventor tried to solve the problem of riding in jeans by lining them with leather. That solved abrasion resistance and even earned approval from Swedish insurance providers, but it didn’t do much for impact protection. And impact, as it turns out, is the real killer. Stats from the US Department of Transportation show that lower body injuries are not only the most common in serious crashes, but also the ones that lead to long-term disability. That’s because, unlike torso trauma, these injuries don’t always kill you. They just stay with you.
And that just sucks, no matter how you look at it.
Fast forward to this new patent, and that same original mission is still there: letting riders wear what looks like regular jeans, but secretly giving them the kind of protection you'd expect from MotoGP-grade kit. Inside the pants is a network of air tunnels, sealed, gas-inflated tubes that expand instantly when triggered. These air tunnels don’t just pad the knees or hips. They wrap around the thighs, calves, waist, and even the butt. And they’re not bulky when deflated, either. The materials described are stretchable, abrasion- and heat-resistant, and even resemble denim when woven, which means you could be wearing a full-on safety system and still look like you’re just out for coffee.
But it doesn’t stop there. The jacket and boots in this system are also rigged with air tunnels, and they activate in one of two ways. You can use a traditional tether system that connects to the bike—pull away hard enough and it yanks a trigger pin, just like in most mechanical airbag vests. Or you can opt for a fully electronic setup, where sensors detect things like sudden deceleration or odd movement angles, and inflate the gear automatically. The electronic units can even talk to each other wirelessly, so if both your boots and vest agree that you’re in trouble, the system deploys.
Now here’s where it gets really interesting. Built into the vest portion of the system are what the patent calls “inflatable canopies.” They’re not parachutes, even though they kind of function like one. Instead of shooting out behind you, these canopies inflate straight up and outward around your shoulders and the sides of your head. Their job is twofold: add drag to slow you down, and act as a barrier in case your head takes a side hit during the crash. The design even includes elastic dampers between the canopies so they don’t snap into place too violently.
It gets even more tech-savvy. The system can pair with a smartphone app, which doesn’t just show battery levels or status—it can actually track your ride. Think lap times, speed data, even your riding path if you're out on a circuit. It could turn your airbag system into a digital riding companion, one that not only protects you but also helps you get faster and stay safer.
But for everyday riders like you and me, the most important part isn’t the high-tech trickery. It’s the fact that this system is designed to be worn like normal clothing. You could show up to a meeting in these jeans. You could ride to school, to work, to the grocery store, and not feel like you’re in a hazmat suit. It removes one of the biggest barriers to gear adoption: discomfort and social awkwardness. And by focusing on the lower body—which current airbag systems barely address—it actually fills a huge gap in rider safety.
This patent is still just that—a patent. There’s no product on shelves just yet. But the thinking behind it is solid. It doesn’t just aim to protect you after you hit the ground. It tries to change the physics of that crash in your favor. It tries to slow you down. Cushion your fall. Keep you looking normal while secretly making you safer.
If this takes off, we might be looking at the next big leap in motorcycle gear. And if it works the way it promises to, those inflatable jeans might just become the smartest thing you wear all week.
Source: WIPO
