I'd like to think the research we're doing is going to end up in airframes and will potentially save lives. We crash-tested the helicopter by suspending it about 35 feet (10.7 m) into the air using cables. Then, as it swung to the ground, we used pyrotechnics to remove the cables just before the helicopter hit so that it reacted like it would in a real accident.

The test—which imitated the conditions of a "relatively severe helicopter crash"—appeared to be a success, although NASA is still going through the data collected by the 160 sensors on board, and the four crash test dummies with torsos specially designed to simulate the behavior of internal organs.

Created by engineer Sotiris Kellas at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Viginia, the kevlar honeycomb is not permanently deployed: It's always flat until it expands in the case of emergency, much like an airbag but using a flexible hinge instead of inflating. [NASA via PopSci]

The X-Flex wallpaper is really a layer of Kevlar-type material, in between sheets of "elastic polymer wrap," which provides both flex and strength so that the projectile doesn't knock the wall down. It seems really effective—check out Pop Sci's video here for evidence—and the US Army is considering using it for bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's also incredibly easy to attach, being basically a rollable sheet, although I'm not sure if it can be unattached and reused. Still, its effectiveness is really impressive. [Pop Sci]

The idea of making fabrics germ-resistant is nothing new, but it is obvious that applying this technology to Kevlar products has more practical applications than simply servicing the world's hypochondriacs. Further tests are needed, but so far Kevlar and acyclic N-Halamine seem to be getting along quite nicely. [LiveScience]

Let's hear it for the Swiss, who are probably seen as the most boring of Europeans. Remember Orson Welles' character, Harry Lime, in The Third Man? "In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

Add Yves Rossy to the list of cuckoos (although it scares me stiff, secretly I would thrill to be gazooming around doing what he does—well, at least once.) This 50-something former military and commercial pilot has spent the past seven years developing and testing Kevlar and fiberglass wings with Jetcat engines that enable him to soar in the sky at speeds of up to 120 mph. Swiss watchmakers Hublot have now sponsored him and Fusionman, as he is now known, will be seen in the skies above the Austrian and Swiss football stadiums during Euro 2008. An amazing video after the jump.

– Ad Dugdale

FusionMan [FusionMan]

In any case, if you are getting one, don't forget to check out the gallery for the $80 old-design Kevlar Gloves with extra knuckle protection (a favorite of Darth Vader) or the metal-friendly detector $80 S.W.A.T Air Wit boots. – Jesus Diaz

Bladerunner Kevlar Protected Hooded Top [Bladerunner]

While this is a good idea, and could potentially save lives, I don't think parents are ready to handle the fact that their own children would need to carry bullet-proof material in school. It's a reality slap to the face. – Travis Hudson

Candidate says bulletproof books could save lives in school shootings [Via The Raw Feed]