Despite the aim of car companies to offer crash free automobiles through technological advancements such as self-driving tech, safety measures for ‘normal’ cars are still being developed. Hyundai Mobis did just that – they are now proud developers of the Panorama Sunroof Airbag – a first of its kind in the world.
How does it protect passengers?
Should a rollover crash occur, the passengers are protected from curb injuries by preventing them to be thrown off the roof of an SUV or minivan. What makes it even more beneficial is being able to stop car occupants (especially those on the rear) from being ejected during rollover accidents. Injuries that can lead to fatalities are highly reduced to minor injuries during road tests using dummies. With only a 0.08 second deployment, the safety device will unfurl from the rear to the front of the vehicle. Its trigger is through a yaw sensor and looks like an air mattress float that occupies the whole cabin’s ceiling.
Although this panorama sunroof airbag hasn’t been mass produced for all types of vehicles, Hyundai Mobis is planning to make it available to all. They have already completed reliability and road tests recently and has secured necessary paperwork for mass production of the technology.
Are sunroof ejections that big an issue these days?
Well based on the statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are over 250 passengers thrown from rollover crashes from the years 2000-2015. It may be a dismal rate compared to other crash related deaths, but sunroofs are becoming the go-to choice of most car buyers these days. They like to have a wonderful view of the places they’re driving around so the attraction of vehicles (especially luxury ones) with sunroofs is increasing.
Hyundai Mobis have been developing airbags since 2000 but this panoramic sunroof is very difficult to create due to its deployment having to base it on whether the sunroof is open or not. Fortunately, with years of research and the drive to provide more safety to passengers, they have finished all the tests including heat resistance and vibration. They also hinted that this technology will be first used on the SUV market. With that, the world is certainly ready for these sunroof airbags!
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