Autoliv, a major supplier of car safety equipment recognized as an industry leader in airbag manufacturing technology, is keen on saving as many lives as possible. And it wants to do so by making airbags for motorcycles. The Swedish company has announced that it will start producing a new motorcycle airbag in the first quarter of 2025.
As the number of commuters relying on electric two-wheelers globally has increased, bikes and motorcycles themselves must get safer. More so if we consider that technology is in continuous development and manufacturers are producing two-wheelers that are faster, more advanced, and mightier in terms of performance.
The Swedish safety equipment maker feels like motorcycle riders have not benefitted from the advancements in vehicle safety as much as car drivers and passengers. While helmets are known to offer increased rider protection if you were to crash on your own, if another vehicle is involved in the incident, you would need much more than that to stay on the safe side.
Autoliv's research into powered two-wheelers, specifically riders' behavior and crashes, has led to the development of cutting-edge safety solutions for this kind of vehicle. The first product they plan to introduce to the market is a bag-on-bike airbag that they claim will significantly reduce the risk of serious injury for powered two-wheeler riders in the nefarious event of a frontal crash.
The bag-on-bike airbag system will be comprised of an airbag module with a gas generator, an optional in-house-developed electronic crash sensor, and an ECU with an algorithm that will decide whether or not to deploy the airbag. It is meant to complement the ABS (Antilock Braking System) and ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) systems already present on many scooters and motorcycles. The airbag system will be compatible with a wide range of two-wheelers.
"To reach the global target of halving road traffic fatalities, we need to increase the safety for powered two-wheeler riders. Through working with real-life data, we understand the most frequent crashes and injury types and how to assess them in a laboratory environment," explained Cecilia Sunnevang, Vice President of Research at Autoliv. "Through virtual and physical testing, we have demonstrated the benefit of the airbag in frontal crashes, and we acknowledge that there is a need for additional solutions to cover more crash situations and rider behaviors."
We have already seen inflatable vests for bike riders, but Autoliv's idea of a motorcycle airbag is very different. They have designed a bag-on-bike airbag system, meaning that the airbag will be affixed to the motorcycle itself. After performing extensive virtual simulations, Autoliv has come to the conclusion that an airbag mounted in the front of a motorcycle that gets into an accident can reduce injuries to the head, neck, and chest.
The company is collaborating with road safety organization MIROS to further develop safety technology specifically geared toward powered two-wheelers. Autoliv is also working with Italian helmet manufacturer Airoh on the development of airbag helmet tech for motorcycle riders.
Airbag technology in the realm of motorcycles is not a new concept. Back in 2006, Honda invented a motorcycle airbag that was mounted on its Gold Wing touring motorcycles. To this day, Honda's bike is still the only production model featuring an airbag, but that is about to change soon with the introduction of Autoliv's bag-on-bike solution.
After spending a few years as a copy editor, Ancuta decided to put down the eraser and pick up the writer's pencil. Her favorites subjects are unusual car designs, travel trailers and everything related to the great outdoors. Full profile
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