I was reading an annotation in the idea mentioned in the summary bar that got me thinking (aren't those the best kind?) about ergonomics, aerodynamics, and safety.
The annotation I'm referring to mentioned the pain in the neck that the poster of the annotation (and many other cyclists) get from straining their necks for extended periods to bring their vision parallel with their backs when leaning forward gripping the lower handles on road bikes. It's not aerodynamic, it's not ergonomic, and it's not fun. Plus, you get rain, mud, and bugs in your eyes unless you have goggles, which then get covered in rain, mud, and bug splatter.
What I propose is a system that combines an aerodynamically-designed wide-angle camera (with a low-profile, miniature wiper arm) mounted on the stem* and a flat-panel LCD screen center-mounted on the handlebar, parallel with the ground. The leading edge of the screen would have a fairing and a low-profile wiper arm to keep it clear of debris.
The camera, by means of either wire or Bluetooth, would stream a live video feed of the road ahead to the screen, which the cyclist would be staring straight down at.
This allows the rider to travel in a more ergonomic position without sacrificing visibility that is normally reduced by fogged up goggles or rain/mud/snow covering his/her goggles/glasses and/or getting in his/her eyes.
////!
*see Link for a picture of the stem, in case you have no idea what I'm talking about.-- 21 Quest, Dec 15 2009 Stem http://www.bikepart...EADLS&category=stemClick on the image in the top for a close-up view [21 Quest, Dec 15 2009] maybe a periscope as a low tech alternative.-- xaviergisz, Dec 15 2009 I thought about that, but decided to go with the techie version.-- 21 Quest, Dec 15 2009 Does the setup have picture-In-picture of the the cars and trucks behind?-- wjt, Dec 16 2009 I neglected to add that? Good addition, jtp. I just didn't want anything else to distract the rider from the road ahead. A rear cam on the seatpost with a thumb toggle beside the gear shifter would be a nice addition. Syncing with your phone via Bluetooth could even allow it to superimpose incoming caller ID info atop the street view, so you can decide whether or not the call's worth taking, and if it is, answer with a Bluetooth-enabled helmet (Baked).-- 21 Quest, Dec 16 2009 Surely prismatic goggles would be better, so you could look in any direction?-- pocmloc, Dec 16 2009 Not a bad idea, not a bad idea at all... except for when the screen freezes up, and the cyclist wonders why the road's looked the same for ten minutes.-- DrWorm, Dec 16 2009 random, halfbakery