Boning up on safety

摘要

CARS could be fitted with a scanning system to estimate the occupant's bone strength and tune the seatbelt and airbags accordingly to improve safety during crashes and reduce injuries caused by the restraints. The system, being developed by a consortium including Nissan's European technical centre and the Cranfield Impact Centre, consists of an ultrasound finger scanner and processor. It would take the finger reading and use it to estimate the skeletal strength of the rest of the body — in particular the chest, which can be injured by seatbelts contracting too forcibly during accidents.