Safety

China's Tsinghua University has scored a world first by demonstrating the inherent safety of the first operating commercial pebble-bed nuclear reactor by shutting off the power and letting the passive systems maintain control of the reactor core.

Three weeks after one of Waymo's autonomous vehicles drove itself into a telephone pole for no apparent reason whatsoever (prompting 672 cars recalled), Waymo has released a statement saying its AVs are still 200 to 350% better at avoiding crashes than humans.

These remarkable non-toxic fire suppressors are the smallest on the market. They handle a variety of situations, including grease, engine, server rack and battery fires, using pyrotechnic technology – and they don't ruin what you're trying to save.

Using a series of inflatable ribs, the Ventete aH-1 bicycle helmet folds like an accordion when deflated to carry as easily as a laptop. When it's time to saddle up, it inflates back into helmet form via an electric pocket pump in seconds.

An experimental new helmet could save drivers of construction vehicles from serious injuries. The device measures the extent to which its wearer is being shaken up while driving, and sounds an alert when the shaking gets to be too much.

Rad Power Bikes already ensures that all of its models meet UL safety standards, but has now gone further with the introduction of the Safe Shield Battery, which incorporates technology designed to protect against overheating.

It slices, it dices, it's super strong and conductive, and now an ultra-pure form of ‘wonder material’ graphene has been inhaled during a human trial without affecting lung or cardiovascular function, opening the door to a novel drug delivery mode.

It's a sad and gruesome fact that robotic lawnmowers sometimes run over hedgehogs, maiming and even killing them. That's why scientists have recently developed a rubber hedgehog stand-in, for safety-testing such mowers.

Just because you're a strong open-water swimmer doesn't mean you'll never get into situations where there's a real risk of drowning. That's where the SwimVest comes in, as it's a wearable airbag system designed specifically for serious swimmers.

Ireland’s new commission for media regulation, has invited public feedback on the country’s first Online Safety Code, which includes a recommendation that video-sharing platforms consider turning off recommender algorithms based on user profiling.

On modern worksites, workers are typically required to carry – or even wear – quite a few electronic devices. The SmartHat is designed to make things easier, by packing a head-load of gadgets into a single safety helmet.

Huge props to these two helicopter test pilots, who have white-knuckled it through one of the most harrowing experiences in rotorcraft flight – an unpowered autorotation emergency landing – allowing an autonomous system to take the controls.