Jump to content

Future cars to have airbags on the outside

Future cars to have airbags on the outside

Deeq

15,606 views

blog-0057682001455501344.jpg

blogentry-114362-0-13515500-1455501215_thumb.jpgAirbags keep proliferating throughout the interiors of our automobiles. What started out in the steering wheel soon multiplied to the dashboard, door panels, seat frames, window frames, knee panels, and elsewhere. The next frontier for airbag installation, however, may not be inside the vehicle, but on the outside.

 

Volvo was the first to install an airbag on the outside, when it fitted one between the hood and windshield on the V40, pictured above. The device was designed to mitigate injury to a pedestrian by cushioning his or her head upon impact. As pioneering as Volvo has been, however, in implementing exterior airbags, it won't be the last.

 

Recently merged component supplier giants ZF and TRW have been experimenting with other ideas. One possibility they recently demonstrated would mount an airbag outside on the side of the vehicle that would inflate just prior to impact in the event of a side-impact collision in order to mitigate the prospect of injury to the vehicle's occupants. Another would detonate a small charge to push the seat away from the door under similar conditions. Among others, Autoliv – which developed the pedestrian hood airbag with Volvo – has experimented with a steel tube fitted with balloons that would inflate to protect pedestrians.

 

The emergence of autonomous vehicles could stand to reduce the number and degree of traffic accidents, and therefore the need for more airbags. However their widespread implementation is still years, if not decades, away. In the meantime we can expect automakers and their suppliers to continue developing new safety measures both on the inside and the outside of new cars.




1 Comment


Recommended Comments

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Carpark Review: Junction 8

    Built in the 1980s, Bishan (or Bishan New Town) may not be one of the earliest housing estates in Singapore, but it was the first whose HDB architecture saw a departure from the more brutalist designs of the past and featured more variation in height and design.  Residents are primarily served by Junction 8, which opened in 1993. Now more than 30 years old, it remains the sole mall in the Bishan East area. Driving there? Here’s our quick review of the carpark.  Manoeuvrability: T

    bobthemob

    bobthemob

×
×
  • Create New...