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A dual-chambered passenger airbag was developed for the 2011 USNCAP to minimize neck loading for the belted 5th female dummy while restraining the unbelted 50th dummy for FMVSS208. This unique, patented design adaptively controlled venting between chambers based on occupant stature. A patented pressure-responsive vent on the second chamber permitted aspiration into the second chamber before a delayed outflow to the environment. The delayed flow through the pressure-responsive vent from the second chamber acted like a pressure-limiting membrane vent to advantageously reduce the injury assessment values for the HIC and the Nij for the 5th female dummy.

The European Commission is proposing legislation aimed at reducing the severity of injuries sustained by pedestrians in the event of an impact with the front-end of a motor vehicle. One aspect of this proposed legislation is reducing the pedestrian's leg injuries due to contact with the bumper and frontal surfaces of a vehicle, assessed using a ‘pedestrian leg impact device,’ or ‘leg-form.’ This proposed legislation presents the challenge of designing a bumper system which achieves the required performance in the leg-form impact-without sacrificing the bumper's primary function of vehicle protection during low-speed impacts. The first step in meeting this challenge is to understand what effects the front-end geometry and stiffness have on the leg-form impact test results. These results will then need to be compared to low-speed impact performance to assess if the two requirements are compatible.