GM files patent for airbag that deploys based on sitting position

GM has published a patent for an airbag that changes the way it deploys based on the characteristics of the vehicle’s passengers and their seating position. 

The airbag would have multiple mechanisms that could change the deployment direction, shape and inflation pressure. The airbag would have multiple chambers and adjustable tethers to provide different deployment options. 

Images included in the patent show how the bag would deploy depending on different positions of the seat including reclined, upright or if a child’s carseat is forward-facing or rear-facing. 

Airbags could also deploy for untraditional locations in the vehicle, such as the roof or other parts of the cabin. 

The airbag would also determine one or more characteristics about the passenger including size and height. 

Autoblog notes that airbags currently deploy the same regardless of your height. They also deploy the same regardless of if you are upright or slouched. 

“In real life, this could solve problems where regular airbags fall short,” Autoblog says. “Kids, smaller adults, or anyone sitting close to the dash could get better protection from an airbag that actually adapts to them.”

Ford filed a floor-mounted airbag system in 2023. The airbag would surround passengers on all sides during a collision. 

The C-shaped curtain air bags would be designed to protect passengers in frontal and side impacts, according to the patent application.

Housed underneath the floor, the air bags would deploy like those already on the market — when sensors detect a crash. They would be made to inflate at least up to the top of the seats and possibly extend further up to the vehicle roof.

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