A dashboard finger scanner could prevent thousands of car injuries each year by fine-tuning crash restraint systems to a passenger鈥檚 bone density.
The ultrasound scanner, developed by researchers at Cranfield Impact Research Centre (CIRC) and Nissan Technical Centre Europe, both in the UK, assesses an individual鈥檚 tolerance to injury, allowing a vehicle鈥檚 onboard computer to adjust the force applied by their seatbelt and airbag accordingly.
鈥淚t would need to be used each time the car鈥檚 ignition was switched on, before the driver was able to move off,鈥� says CIRC鈥檚 technical director, Roger Hardy.
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鈥淭his would then feed into the restraint system 鈥� part of a processing unit in the car 鈥� in addition to what is routinely used to detect the conditions for firing airbags and controlling the seatbelt operating characteristics,鈥� he adds.
Excessive strain
Smart seatbelts can already let out slack when under excessive strain, to prevent a passenger suffering injury such as rib and sternum fracture. But not everyone can withstand the same amount of force and those with brittle bones are particularly at risk.
The ultrasound sensor tries to determine how much strain a passenger can take by firing harmless sound pulses through a finger and measuring the amount of time they take to pass through. This reveals the density of the bone, allowing an onboard computer to configure the smart seatbelt to prevent injury. It could also alter air bag settings, perhaps softening the cushioning slightly if the passenger seems especially frail.
The system should particularly benefit older drivers and other passengers who typically suffer more injuries in minor crashes, says Richard Frampton at the Ergonomics and Safety Research Institute at Loughborough University, UK, who helped develop the system.
Chest injury
鈥淭he problem is that older people cannot take as much as young people before they break,鈥� he told New 杏吧原创. But Frampton adds that the system could also help prevent injury in younger people who have bone-weakening conditions.
The researchers carried out crash simulations on computer to determine how well the system might prevent injury. These suggested that it could reduce chest injuries in older men and women by about 20%.
Robert Sproat, an expert on intelligent vehicle restraint systems says the technology could help minor injuries significantly. 鈥淭he more efficiently you restrain people in vehicles using intelligent systems, the greater potential for mitigating injury and therefore the cost of treating less severe injuries should be significantly reduced,鈥� he told New 杏吧原创.
The next step is to build a prototype sensor into a real road vehicle. 鈥淭he system could be built into dashboard consoles, the driver鈥檚 door, or even 鈥� when miniaturised sufficiently 鈥� into the gear lever,鈥� Hardy says.
