Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials in Germany have developed a bicycle helmet that emits a foul stench after an impact. This would inform users that the shock absorbing material inside is no longer effective and it's time to get a new helmet:
The polymer materials or plastics produced by the process start to smell if they develop small cracks. Large cracks really cause a stink. The smell comes from odoriferous oils enclosed in microcapsules. "Cyclists often replace their helmets unnecessarily after dropping them on the ground, because they cannot tell whether they are damaged or not. The capsules eliminate this problem. If cracks form, smelly substances are released," explains Dr.-Ing. Christof Koplin, research scientist at the IWM.
Link via DVICE | Image: Fraunhofer IWM
This is a great idea!
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So now instead of dying from a cracked skull they'll choke to death on their own vomit. Doesn't sound like a great trade off to me.
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man this helmet stinks, I'm just not going to wear one I guess. I'll buy one later...sometime.
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I think this is just going to make people want to just litter their broken helmets now... I guess there really wouldn't be that many... but I just feel like this is a really bad idea. We're gonna live in a world with roads lined in stinky helmets.
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