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Smart seats to help reduce side impact casualties

Alex Kaufmann

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1,302 views December 7, 2006

Smart seats to help reduce side impact casualties

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An airbag maker is developing special seats that can detect an imminent side impact and push the seat further into the middle of the car to reduce passenger injuries. Side-mounted radar would be used to detect the impact milliseconds before it actually occurs and would activate the safety system. The system also triggers a large side airbag that can decrease the amount of force hitting the passenger, and one airbag underneath the chair to reinforce the floor and reduce crumpling. Side impacts cause some of the most dangerous accidents because there is no large engine or boot to decrease the force before it arrives to the passenger. It’s unlikely safety features like this will be making it to a production car anytime soon due to the costs involved, so we may have to wait till the next S-class to see it.

[Source: Auto Express]