Why are airbags not external?

jon.bda · 4 Dec 2006 at 20:23

Gilly said:
Tell us how you would manage that and I'll retract my earlier statement.

If this mechanism can see into the future it'd be better employed telling people how to avoid accidents rather than lessening impacts.

Exactly...i'd be chuffed if you can think up a psychic car that can avoid speed cameras too...

doofer · 4 Dec 2006 at 20:32

I'm quite certain that many, many years ago, either Tomorrow's World or Top Gear had a car that deployed external air-bags in the event of a pedestrian collision, was to save the pedestrian from injuries though, not the car

Also remember seeing some Motor Cycles with 'external' air-bags that protected riders legs in the event of a collision.

BennyC · 4 Dec 2006 at 20:36

why not have them underneath? so that on impact the car gets thrown 100's of feet into the air, flips a few times, lands on all 4 wheels and everybodys happy and over populates the world some more.

Neoni · 5 Dec 2006 at 04:03

i really cant believe this question is being asked. theres a reason as its simply not possible. you wouldnt be able to rely on them, which would be bad in a companys point of view. claims going off etc "you said the airbags would go off etc etc" and plus its too hard to calculate the responce on which point they go off.

6thElement · 5 Dec 2006 at 04:20

Benny06 said:
why not have them underneath? so that on impact the car gets thrown 100's of feet into the air, flips a few times, lands on all 4 wheels and everybodys happy and over populates the world some more.

Couldn't possibly have that implemented. All of the automatic bollards in the nation would have to queue outside the Job Centre and sign on the dole.

alexthecheese · 5 Dec 2006 at 10:47

Gilly said:
Cos priming them to go off is OK, but you'd have airbags going off all over the place without collisions happening

No you wouldn't, after seeing Fifth Gear last night it was interesting to see how many tests they go through to ensure that airbags don't go off unnecessarily as potentially it would be more dangerous if they did.

Pug · 5 Dec 2006 at 12:19

one might assume its possible to have a bonnet-top airbag which acts as a curtain over the bonnet of the car to absorb a pedestrians impact.detected by collision with pedestrian, and shoots a big, thin airbag over an area of the bonnet most likely to impact on the pedestrian.

That should be doable

johnny6 · 5 Dec 2006 at 13:50

Surely an external airbag would have to deploy before the other object hit. What would stop it going off when someone simply parks a bit to close?

Wicksta · 5 Dec 2006 at 16:09

johnny6 said:
Surely an external airbag would have to deploy before the other object hit. What would stop it going off when someone simply parks a bit to close?

It would be extremely simple for electronics to judge how fast you are approaching an object to avoid this happening when parking. Not sure if Russ Swift would want such a device though.

Felix Da Housecat · 5 Dec 2006 at 16:18

Anyway airbags are there to help protect the people in the vehical and not the car itself.

So having them outside is pointless unless you have one fitted ontop of the bonnet for when you hit a pedestrian. But those those wont be fully effective as you would still have broken their legs in the impact :eek:

kippermitten · 5 Dec 2006 at 16:21

Car hits pedestrian, airbag goes off and launches already injured ped 20 feet onto the tarmac away from the car.

Im not seeing a down side to that tbh

K.

Glaucus · 5 Dec 2006 at 16:23

as siasd they would have to be deployed before the impact, and also a human head is light, a car is heavy you would need one hell of an airbag.

masterk · 5 Dec 2006 at 16:31

If done correctly this isnt a bad idea.

Pug · 5 Dec 2006 at 16:44

AcidHell2 said:
as said they would have to be deployed before the impact, and also a human head is light, a car is heavy you would need one hell of an airbag.

well, obviously

but i'd rather have my head slammed onto a 3inch thick cushion of air with 1500Kgs pushing it than have my head pushed onto a metal panel also with 1500kgs pushing it. The cushion would slow the rate of decelleration, and thus MIGHT have some beneficial effects, but i wouldnt know if the time you would have to deploy would offer enough in the way of time for appreciable decelleration :confused:

its an interesting concept, and one which may or may not offer any benefit. Only issue i'd have is that slow speed shunts into cars might set them off...

and obviously the bag would be like a balloon, but would absorb the head into it.