Opening last night in Nuenen, Holland, this illuminated cycling surface is free to the public, storing sunlight during the day to create stellar patterns to guide riders after dark. First of its kind on the planet, the swirling shapes of this path are recognizably inspired by one of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous paintings.

Developed by Dutch artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde in conjunction with infrastructure specialists from Heijmans, this pathway is a potential prototype for future cycling paths using smart paint technologies as well as an extension of an ongoing series of glow-in-the-dark highway projects and other urban improvement proposals in the works around the world.

Part practical lighting scheme and part installation art project, the path is located along a stretch of a bicycling route passing through Noord Brabant, the region from which van Gogh originated, which in turn connects various notable sites from his personal life and work. Its creator explains: “I wanted to create a place that people will experience in a special way, the technical combined with experience – that’s what techno-poetry means to me.”

The semi-abstract pixelated swirls are a high-tech reference to Starry Night, painted in 1889 and depicting an idealized view from the east-facing window of the painter’s asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (now part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City).

Studio Roosegaarde is known for “tactile high-tech environments in which viewer and space become one. This connection, established between ideology and technology, results in what Roosegaarde calls ‘techno-poetry’. His often interactive work connects people with art and people with people.”

If you are sick of worrying about your bike being stolen or taking a lock with you wherever you go, this design will solve both of those every problems faced by bicyclists around the world.

In less than 20 seconds, the Unstealable Bike‘s locking system can be deployed by unlatching and rotating two pieces of the frame, then sliding out and using the seat bar to connect and secure those two parts.

Unlike most quick-release seats, the ability to slide out the bar becomes an asset rather than a liability in this case, making it possible to lock up your bicycle with one of its most frequently-stolen pieces.

The scale of the components employed makes it easy to attach the cycle to anything from a slim signpost to a thick tree.

Created by a team of three engineers, the bike is currently a prototype and seeking funding for mass-production and sale. Its builders bill it as safe, well-designed and comfortable – a more useful variant of the frequently-seen projects for collapsible bicycles.

Few folding bikes can boast such compact proportions (even when fully collapsed) as this umbrella-sized wonder you can sling at your side or slide into your shoulder bag.

The Sada Bike bends the basic assumptions of bicycle design, but not in the same fashion as small-bike solutions. Instead of reducing the size of essential elements, which creates an awkward riding experience, Sada trades a rigid chassis and support-providing spokes for a jointed lightweight frame and reinforced rims that require less material.

Experienced engineers will note their solution is not without its own unsolved questions, including the impact of putting weight along the edges of empty (even if rigid) wheel frames.

Still, it is a start – while their may be balance and durability issues yet to address, the concept calls into question the premises behind existing standard, miniature and foldable bikes and pushes the potential limits of urban portability.

In critique of other existing approaches, Sada’s creators note: “They have a small frame and wheels at the expense of stability, for the sake of compactness and portability during transport. The minimum size of the frame, in fact, penalizes the rider position while driving and the small size of the wheels significantly are affected by variations in terrain. On the other hand, the traditional bicycles, avoid these problems, but the rigid chassis makes them inflexible during transport on public transport.”

Both the first person to bike across the San Francisco Bay and over the Hudson River is great, but being able to skip traffic jams and cycle to work over the water daily is even better, according to Judah Schiller. And now he is looking to take his invention into the mainstream, so to speak.

Co-founder of the Aiko Agency (focused aptly on innovation and design), this tinkerer built his own bike from a kit, then hacked it to work on the water. He has since founded BayCycle in an effort to make such mods widely available, particularly given the shortcomings of regional bike lanes.

Schiller’s augmentations fit inside of a backpack and can be deployed in a matter of minutes. They consist mainly of a pair of inflatable pontoons, metal mounting rods and a propeller attachment.

During peak traffic, he can compete with cars clogged up in a tunnel or on a bridge, peddling along the water at his own pace, enjoying the exercise and fresh air to and from the office.

Along his way, he encounters a different set of more leisurely traveling companions, from sailors to paddlers, many of whom are naturally quite intrigued by his contraption.