In association with safety-system manufacturer Autoliv, Honda has developed a new multi-chamber airbag for the front passenger. The new unit – consisting of three chambers and a non-inflatable ‘sail panel’ – has been design to mitigate head rotation and provide better protection in a variety of frontal and frontal-off-set impact situations.

The three chambers are arranged in such a way that two protrude out from the sides unfurling the ‘sail,’ with the third chamber located behind the sail that aims to help reduce the impact force. The sail is meant to catch the occupant in the initial stage of a crash, reducing the force of the impact against the third chamber. Meanwhile, the two side chambers cradle the head as the occupant is pushed into the airbag unit.

The carmaker says that the airbag’s geometry plays a key role in preventing the occupants head from rotating or slipping off the airbag during a collision, which would otherwise cause severe head injuries.

In a video released by the manufacturer, the new airbag worked in conjunction with a knee airbag to reduce the force of the impact on the crash test dummy.

In an official statement, Jim Keller, President of Honda R&D Americas Inc. Said, “ this new airbag technology represents Honda's continuing effort to advance safety performance in a wider variety of crash scenarios and reflects the innovative thinking that our engineers are bringing to the challenge of reducing traffic injuries and fatalities."

The company plans to introduce this new airbag technology into its models on sale in the US market from 2020 with the tech expected to be adopted in other countries in the future.

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