The Checkup: Introducing the Invisible Bicycle Helmet (Video)

• 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.