The Checkup: Introducing the Invisible Bicycle Helmet (Video)

Nope, it isn't science fiction—two Swedish women have invented an "invisible" bike helmet that won't ruin your good hair day.

Posted by Emily Leaman on 8/16/2012 at 7:04AM | No Comments
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• If there’s one platform I have in life, it’s this: Helmets are an absolute, positive must when riding a bike. As a daily bicycle commuter who refuses to get on a bike without a helmet, I’ve been known to chastise—yes, verbally reprimand—perfect strangers who I see riding bikes helmet-free. To me, no hair day is worth the risk. That’s why I am positively speechless (in a good way!) after watching the video below, which shows a crazy cool new invention: an “invisible” bike helmet. But the thing is, it’s not really a helmet at all; it’s a sensor-equipped collar fitted with an airbag that springs into action when a potential crash is detected. The airbag encases your head in a matter of seconds, inflating fast enough to protect you from a dangerous fall. The thing runs on battery-powered accelerometers and gyroscopes, reports TechCrunch, that detect typical bike-crash motions and trigger a gas inflator, which fills the nylon airbag-helmet with helium. The helmet was five years in the making—the result of an industrial design master’s thesis by creators Anna Haupt and Terese Alstinatm, both Swedish—and required $10 million in funding. Now the helmets are on sale for the hefty price tag of $600 a pop—and like car airbags, they’re one-time-use. Still, it’s better than wearing no helmet at all. Check out the video below.

• Chocolate-lovers, listen up: Researchers at the University of Warwick in Britain have created a low-fat chocolate that’s reportedly just as smooth and creamy as the full-fat stuff. The secret? Fruit juice.

• For all the hating we do on sugary drinks, here’s some (potentially) good news: New data reveals that more and more kids are opting for diet drinks. Hey, it’s something.

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