There is no doubt that airbags are one of the best inventions on the automotive market. Although the number of airbags in new cars has been increasing, many companies have been looking for new ways to make them more effective. . Google's sister company Waymo, both owned by Alphabet, recently applied for a patent for an airbag that could save lives in severe vehicle collisions.
The patent, called Deployable Passenger Enclosure, describes technology that would protect passengers from every angle when a collision occurs.
While the airbags currently installed in cars can theoretically help protect passengers, all this shell does is "hug" the passengers and ensure they are not harmed.
"In some embodiments, the system may also be installed in the second row of seats in a vehicle," the patent reads.
"The second portion of the airbag system can be incorporated into the second row of seats. The second row of seats can be oriented towards the seats in the vehicle. The second portion and the first portion can be configured to operate when the safety The airbag system has been deployed to form a partial fence around the seat to reduce the potential for injury to passengers while in the seat," Waymo explains in the patent filing.
The drawings included in the listing, which you can view in the photo gallery here, provide a close look at how the airbags are supposed to work, explaining how the fence will form in the event of a crash.
The system is still in the patent stage, which means Waymo’s idea has not yet reached the mass production stage. According to official records from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the patent was applied for in June 2018 and granted in December this year.
This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.