Vintage magazine article depicts invention linking car brakes to a driver's eyebrows

Images of a unique device circulated on the internet in late April 2025 when users shared what they claimed was a screenshot of an article from an old issue of Popular Mechanics magazine featuring an invention that purportedly allowed drivers to control an automobile's braking system using only their eyebrows. 

The screenshot of the alleged magazine article made the rounds in multiple Reddit threads, as well as numerous posts on Facebook (archived, archived, archived) and X (archived). 

The Eyebrow Auto Brake is a car braking system attached to the driver's eyebrows. This invention was in Popular Mechanics magazine.
byu/Ebonystealth inOldSchoolRidiculous

The screenshot was authentic, and the rumor that Popular Mechanics magazine once featured an invention claiming to link a car's braking system to the driver's eyebrows was true.

The brief clip appeared in the August 1965 issue of Popular Mechanics, which is available to read in full on Google Books (archived). One headline on the cover of the issue read, "Fast-Reflex Driving."

Popular Mechanics has been in publication since 1902. According to the "About Us" page on its website, the magazine offers "the latest news on innovations and inventions across the automotive, DIY, science, technology, and outdoor spaces."

Snopes reached out to Hearst, the company that publishes Popular Mechanics, which confirmed the article was an editorial feature and not a paid advertisement. However, it had no further information about the invention.

(Google Books)

The blurb that appeared on Page 79 of the issue said the invention came from Yugoslavia and used electrodes and magnets to manipulate the brakes, supposedly reducing the reaction time necessary to stop before hitting an obstacle. The full text read: 

Eyebrow Auto Brake

A brake system invented in Yugoslavia is activated by muscles above the driver's eyebrow. It cuts the reaction time required by a foot-brake system by 75 percent. A silver electrode over each brow picks up the slight current generated in the moving muscle. The impulse goes to amplifier (above), where the voltage gain is sufficient to activate electromagnet. The magnet pulls the brake pedal. 

(Popular Mechanics, August 1965)

Also on the page was a blurb about an invention called a "backpack boat," which was an inflatable canoe that retailed for "under $150."

The magazine revealed no further information about the eyebrow-controlled auto brake invention. A Google search (archived) yielded no relevant results indicating whether the invention was ever actually widely manufactured or sold to consumers — or who invented it.

Needless to say, the eyebrow auto brake did not appear to catch on, as automobiles in 2025 still predominantly use foot pedals for their braking systems.

We've previously looked into other claims about alleged vintage inventions, such as whiskey-flavored toothpaste.