Next-generation airbag acts like baseball catcher’s mitt.

Honda has announced the development of a new passenger front airbag technology designed to better protect occupants in a wide range of frontal collision scenarios.

Unlike conventional airbag systems that rely on a single inflatable compartment, the new system utilizes four major components: three inflated compartments — a centre chamber and two outward-projecting side chambers that create a wide base across the dash — along with a “sail panel” that stretches between the two side chambers at their outermost edge. 

Operating something like a baseball catcher’s mitt, the sail panel catches and decelerates the occupant’s head while also engaging the side chambers, pulling them inward to cradle and protect the head, mitigating the potential for injury.

Honda plans to begin applying its advanced airbag design to new products in the United States in 2020.