In 2009, Ford introduced the industry's first production inflatable seat belts, which are designed to spread crash forces over five times more area of the body than conventional belts. Used for rear-seat occupants, the inflatable belts help reduce pressure on the chest and control head and neck motion. (Source: Ford Motor Co.)
I couldn't agree more, Beth. It always amazes me to see people riding without helmets or even with bare arms and legs (I grew up in Southern NH). Riding in car is dangerous enough these days, so it's nice to see all of the safety options that are available.
The appeal of the motorcycle airbag will probably be minimal among serious bikers, which is hard to understand given how dangerous riding can be. I live in Mass. where there is a helmet law, but there isn't one in New Hampshire, which is right over the border. I'm always amazed at the riders blazing across the highways without any kind of protective gear, and especially being bare-headed. I get the thrill of speed and the wind in your hair and all that, but it seems to me to be astoundingly short sighted given your dependency on other drivers for your safety.
You're right, Rob. Safety sells. And when it doesn't sell, it occasionally gets mandated, as is the case with electronic stability control and airbags.
I agree, Naperlou. The forward collision avoidance is the most impressive and it's likely to have the most effect down the road. It's one more piece of the autonomous puzzle. As for the motorcycle airbag, it works very well, I'm told, but I wonder how great its appeal will be among serious bikers.
This is quite a show, Chuck. I didn't realize the wide range of safety technology that's getting developed for mobility. I would guess this isn't happening in a vacuum. Seems that safety technology is becoming a competitive factor.
Chuck, there are lots of interesting new technologies in your slide-show. I was especially impressed by the forward colision avoidance system. In the video it was pointed out that the system stops warning when the driver takes evasive action. That is a good feature and shows that the designers were really thinking about how the decive would be used.
While many of the innovations listed involve electronics for control, or are primarily electronics, there are some that are passive safety systems, such as the vehicle structure examples.
One thing I find counterintuitive is the motorcycle example. The safety vest is nice, but the trend these days, at least where I live (Illinois) is that bikers are dispensing with even the most basic safety equipment (e.g., helmets). In Europe, I noticed when I lived there, there was much more use of safety equipment, such as full body crash suits. So, I wonder how much up take there would be. Really, motorcycles are inherently dangerous (I know).
Nice slideshow, Chuck. Shows a mix of what's cooking up in the development labs that can have a major impact on reducing highway fatalities. The motorcycle suit is pretty amazing. You hear about so many fatalities on bikes and something like that could really reduce the risk. Is that something that the biker wears or is it part of the motorcycle like an airbag?
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Labs have observed a reaction in lithium-air batteries that could help improve the design of these cells for electric vehicles and other applications.
Healthcare might seem to be an unlikely target application for the Internet of Things technology, but recent developments show small ways that big-data is going to make an impact on patient care moving into the future.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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