Future "Smart" Air bags
The Smart Airbag of the future is not just the air bag, but a redesign of the components in the current airbag systems. Features include:

• Weight Sensors This is a new sensor for the passenger seat to classify the weight and to determine what type of occupant is in the seat, ie; adult or child.
• Infrared Occupant Detection This system will use Infra-red beams (just like in your TV remote control) to detect the distance the passenger is from the airbag and adapt the force of deployment accordingly.
• Capacitive Reflective Occupant Sensing These sensors will be located in the seat backs and in the dash to identify the distance you and or your passengers are from the dashboard. These sensors will be able to discriminate between a human occupant and inanimate objects like your groceries. This alone will save thousands of dollars in the cases where the driver is the only occupant in the front seat.
• Updated SENSORS The updated SENSORS will have the capabilities of deploying the seatbelt pretensioners faster, so in a crash situation you will be in the best position to benefit from the airbag deployment.
• Centralized Electronic Control Unit The new control units will be able use all the input from the new sensor technology and thru new software deploy what you need when you need it.

These new developments will not come free, what impact they have on collision repair costs remains to be seen. The safety issue is not in doubt, Airbags Save Lives. Below I have links to the major players in the Airbag industry. Take a few moments and check them out.
The links below will open in a new window.
Autoliv is probably the premier automotive safety company on the planet. They produce almost all of the components that go into a modern Supplemental Restraint System.
TRW the company that sold $6.5 billion, yes Billion worth of automotive parts last year (1996) out of a total world sales of 9.85 billion dollars and is in most estimates the largest manufacturer of airbags in the world has almost no information available on the web. They mention them twice.