Tech Talk: Airbag Technology

Airbags are not just for cars. Bikers can have them too, in the form of the latest hi-tech garments

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Most of us associate airbags with car technology, but companies such as Dainese and Alpinestars are already offering jackets and leathers with the technology built in. To get our heads around all the hows, whats and whys, we talked to Dainese D-air Technical Manager Tommaso Guseo.

MSL: Where did the idea of airbags in motorcycle leathers come from?

TG: The idea of airbags in motorcycle leathers comes from an intuition of Lino Dainese in 1994. After a dive using an inflatable buoyancy compensator jacket, Lino Dainese grabbed a paper napkin in a beach bar nearby and drew his idea for an airbag that protects the human body. Only in 2000, Dainesebegan the development of the airbag with Israeli company Merhav AAP, which had the military-derived technologies needed to make the system: the first functioning D-air prototype was made. We had to wait until 2006, partnering with the University of Padua, before work on designing the triggering algorithm for the Racing version began.

MSL: What were the main difficulties in creating a fully functioning airbag for motorcyclists?

TG: The main difficulties found in creating an airbag for motorcyclists are:

Comprehension of accident dynamics and contextualisation of different needs of street and racing usage

Data collection and algorithm development

Integration of parts in a garment

MSL:Which parts of the body does the airbag protect, and does it do that better than traditional armour?

TG: Protected parts are different in road and racing products. If we consider 2019 products, the road products mainly protect the chest, while in a racing environment the main protected part are shoulders. When the airbag is inflated, it protects