Kids and air bags

Kids especially ones that are small should always be in the back seat. the government and air bag industry are targeting on technological to fix the problem -- air bags, smart airbags. They decide when (and how hard) they should deploy. "Industry leaders like Steven Batterman, professor of bioengineering at University of Pennsylvania claim that “Smart Airbags” can be easily made and are now being made.
Despite warnings and possible hazards of air bags, and despite recent deaths, the “Smart Airbag innovation” has been highly successful. It is noted that over 1500 lives have already been saved, and that number is rising. Especially as a higher percentage of cars now have air bags. But there is still room for improvement, Batterman says. Every product needs feedback from the field to tweak the system and make corrections as needed. When the invention for air bags were first conceived, in the '60s and '70s, technology was not as it is today and giving them brains was not even thought of. Back then, the problem was strength of the air bags themselves. Making them strong enough to restrain an average unbelted male adult driver. At 60 miles per hour and a un belted passenger at 190 lbs is a big fly to catch “so to speak”.

Airbag Options Available

Numerousl things have changed. Seat belt laws in numerous states cause seat belts to be used more often. Technology has caught up and is cheaper and more capable. This combination has brought a wide array of proposed technology fixes to the air bag industry.
A seat scale can weigh the occupant in the seat, telling the air bag to only deploy if the person is above a certain weight. However, this system cannot decipher a properly belted child from an un belted one. Sensors on the seat that can read a tag affixed to a child safety seat can turn off the airbag and de activate the air bag. But, this system will be unable to help an out of position (unbelted) adult. A ultrasound unit on the dash that can produce a high frequency can read the echo and determine who or what is in the passenger seat and turn off or on the airbag as directed in programing. A full electrical field antenna system in the car seat can create a high-frequency but weak electrical field. NEC Automotive Electronics was showcasing such a system to auto makers. The biggest advantage of this type of system is that it provides real analysis of the passengers position but can also determine the size of the mass in the passenger seat. This could theoretically define whether the occupant can be restrained correctly by the seat belt only or the seat belt and airbag. Smart sensors will be available on cars on or after 1999 or 2000 model years, says Rittmueller, The federal government has mandated to all auto makers.
As of 2006 Air bags have come a long way. Finally, some cars are featuring side air bags to protect heads from deadly side impacts. Seat airbags and even knee airbags. Some cars have airbags have front and rear seat airbags. Seat belts have pre tentioners and can detect the weight of the occupant and tell the airbag how hard to deploy. Dual stage air bags make the airbag deploy much more accurately than the pre 1998 airbags of old.