Airbags are a safety standard for all vehicles. They keep us from absolutely destroying our faces in the event of a car accident. But ZF asked themselves if it should stop there. What if there were also airbags on the outside of your car?

The German supplier has developed external crash safety airbags. They were revealed at the 2018 Airbag Symposium in Germany recently, with production potential of only two years. Operating the same way as regular airbags but three times as large, these instant cushions deploy on the side of a vehicle moments before a side-impact collision. Testing by ZF reported a 40 percent reduction of injury severity as a result of the extra protection.

The system utilizes a combination of sensors, cameras, computers, and lidar to sense an oncoming crash. It can fully inflate in only 100 milliseconds. A strenuous effort was put into ensuring that there would not be any false alarms and unnecessary deployments. Could you imagine a child riding too close to your car, only to get side-blasted by your car door? ZF is confident in their abilities, however. They assure listeners that the system will know the difference.

ZF is also considering how autonomous vehicles will change the way we approach auto safety. When you don't have to drive, you can theoretically walk around the cabin, maybe even take a nap. This new freedom means new measures of safety in the event of a crash. ZF is researching new ways to keep people safe in these scenarios.