External pre-crash airbag can reduce injury by 40 percent

From Superinnovators 25/10/23. This article is in TLDR (Too Long Didn’t Read) format which is popular in the innovation community and provides a bullet summary of information.

Introduction: In 2019, German industrial tech company ZF introduced a pioneering pre-crash system equipped with an external side airbag, aiming to enhance passenger safety during side impact collisions.

Significance of side impact protection: Side crashes can be particularly hazardous due to the limited crumple zone between the passenger and the colliding object. In Germany alone, nearly 700 passengers lose their lives annually in such accidents, accounting for one-third of all car passenger fatalities.

Innovative airbag deployment: Unlike traditional airbags that deploy post-collision, ZF’s pre-crash system determines whether to deploy the external airbag before the collision occurs, based on a reliable accident prediction system.

Sensor system: The decision to deploy the airbag is made possible by a comprehensive sensor system, including cameras, lidar, and radar, which continuously monitor potential threats. Algorithms assess each threat and decide on the deployment of the external airbag.

Rapid response time: The pre-crash system takes approximately 150 milliseconds to decide and act, using this brief moment to significantly reduce the risk of injury to passengers.

Efficacy of the system: The external side airbag is stored in the side sill (the lower part of the car’s body structure between the front and rear wheel arches). Upon deployment, it expands upwards between the A-pillar (the front pillar on either side of the windshield) and the C-pillar (the rear pillar on either side of the rear window). This airbag provides an additional crumple zone that can reduce the force of impact on the car body by 30% and decrease injury severity to passengers by up to 40%.

Airbag specifications: The external side airbag, a prominent component of ZF’s pre-crash system, has a volume ranging from 280 to 400 litres depending on the vehicle model, providing an additional crumple zone that is 5 to 8 times larger than a standard driver’s airbag. The demonstrator airbag system has yet to be implemented in a production vehicle.