External airbags could be ready by 2020

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British OEM supplier TRW Automotive has come up with an external airbag system that deploys from the sill beneath doors in 30 milliseconds. It could be introduced on production vehicles by the end of the decade.

The project started three years ago in Spain with funding from the European Union.

Photo: TRW

The airbags being tested are 200 x 70 x 15-20 centimetres, with a capacity of 200 litres. Designers at TRW Automotive are now working on radar and camera systems to detect the precise moment the airbags need to be triggered.

Last year, Volvo announced a similar airbag system designed to protect pedestrians in the event of a collision with the car's windshield.

Source: Daily Mail