As if falling off your bike weren’t embarrassing enough, now some German scientists have created a helmet that starts to stink when its cracked, thereby alerting you – and your loved ones – of potential danger.

It’s actually a great idea. When you fall, you put stress on the helmet. The resulting cracks could lead to weakening of the helmet and limit the protection afforded by your skull bucket. By making it stink using microcapsules of stinky oil, you’re forced to throw it away and not keep using it.

“Cyclists often replace their helmets unnecessarily after dropping them on the ground, because they cannot tell whether they are damaged or not,” Dr. Christof Koplin, a research scientist at the IWM, said. “The capsules eliminate this problem. If cracks form, smelly substances are released.”

If it’s a big crack, the smell is bigger (Interesting side note: That phrase is actually on my family crest.)

via Pysorg via DVICE