Helmet that detects polluted air can also be a comedian's prop
Ever seen a horse pull its lips back to show its front teeth? Looks hilarious, right? Apparently, that's called flehmen response, and animals do it to sniff out chemicals -- something designer Susanna Hertrich think humans could benefit from. Since we don't exhibit the behavior naturally, Susanna created a steampunk-meets-BDSM helmet that can physically lift a person's lips. (Seriously. Watch the video below the fold.) She calls it Jacobson's Fabulous Olfactometer, and it's equipped with sensors that can detect carbon dioxide in the air. The sensors then forward the data to an Arduino board, and if it determines that CO2 levels are dangerously high, the gears in the headset start moving to lift the hooks attached to the user's upper lip. That's ostensibly so the user can be warned of highly polluted air, but we can't help but think that it's just to make people laugh while the air ruins everyone's lungs.
