Hyundai has introduced a panorama sunroof airbag system for its vehicles to protect the occupants in case of a rollover.
In an unpredictable world full of surprises, airbags can turn out to be life-savers in case of a crash. These safety devices come in diverse forms – front, side, knee and even roof airbags – but all of them essentially serve one purpose and that is to prevent injuries in frontal or side-impact crashes. Hyundai Mobis, the component supplier of Korean carmaker Hyundai, has developed a one-of-its-kind panorama sunroof airbag system which promises to come in handy in case of a rollover.
Designed to prevent occupants from getting thrown out, the panorama sunroof airbag covers the entire sunroof area in 0.08 seconds. It relies on sensors which monitor changes in the vehicle’s turning angle and detect a rollover. As confirmed from internal tests conducted by Hyundai, the sunroof-mounted airbag also mitigates the risk of occupants suffering deadly head injuries during a crash. The airbag is positioned towards the back of the sunroof and deploys towards the front.
The system is claimed to possess more technological difficulty than normal airbags and the engineers at Hyundai Mobis found it challenging to obtain space in the sunroof to mount the airbag. Moreover, the airbag had to be designed in such a way so that its deployment is unhindered whether or not the sunroof glass is open or closed. In case of the car toppling with the sunroof in closed position, the airbag inflates between the sunroof glass and sun shield.
Hyundai Mobis has been into this field since 2002 and some complex technologies such as fourth-gen advanced airbag and inter-passenger airbag are brainchildren of this Seoul-based company. The panorama sunroof airbag system is expected to make its way to the Hyundai Genesis sedan and the Kona crossover in the next couple of years. Hyundai Mobis has filed for 11 patents to improve the technology further.
Panorama Sunroof Airbag
– Hyundai Mobis develops world’s first panorama sunroof airbag technology
– Claimed to offer protection in case of a rollover
– Korea-based Hyundai Mobis has filed 11 patents for this technology
– Expected to debut on luxury models such as Hyundai Genesis
