Acura Develops New Age Airbags Designed To Reduce Head And Brain Injuries

Mr Jim Keller, the President at Honda R&D Americas LLC. said, "This new Acura TLX is the latest example of our safety engineering team in Ohio pursuing important innovations to advance toward our goal of a safer and, ultimately, collision-free society."

"I'm very proud of how our engineers analyzed new brain injury research and then took action to achieve one of the most substantial advances in airbag design in decades," he added.

The new airbags that will feature in the TLX sport sedan have been designed to reduce lateral collision forces that can cause severe damage to the human brain. Forces are strong enough to cause a passengers head to rotate at high velocity, and slide off a traditional airbag, thereby causing serious injuries.

The new airbag technology was developed after researching a landmark study of brain injuries. The project was led by scientists at the United States Department of Transportation, and resulted in the BrIC (Brain Injury Criteria) methodology for measuring brain injuries from vehicular accidents.

The new airbag system developed by Acura features an un-inflated panel that catches and decelerates the passenger's head, and also directs it inward, between two inflated chambers in order to protect the head.

The new airbag system comprises four elements - three inflated compartments consisting of a center chamber, two outward projecting side chambers that create a wide base, and an un-inflated sail-panel that stretches to connect the two side chambers.

The new 2021 TLX sport sedan will feature the new airbags in addition to knee airbags for the driver and front passenger. Knee airbags control the forward motion while in an accident and work in sync with the front airbags and seat belts.

Knee airbags are concealed beneath a panel under the dashboard and instrument cluster. The bags are built to contour away from one's knees, making for better legroom.

The new 2021 TLX sport sedan will arrive with a total of eight airbags - front, side and knee (driver and front passenger) and side curtain airbags that feature a roll-over sensor.

Thoughts About The New Airbag Technology Developed By Acura

This is excellent work in the safety department. While airbags help reduce damage, they're not as safe as they could be, at least in more violent accidents. Having an airbag that adds more safety, and one that protects the brain is a major stride in the auto safety industry. Kudos to Acura!