A new type of lap belt airbag is poised to make it easier and less costly for seatmakers to certify aircraft seats and cabin layouts, according to SCHROTH Safety Products.
Adaptable to different cabin designs, the so-called AirPRO system was developed by SCHROTH in cooperation with design studio Teams and DesignBüro Stühmer|Scholz. It features an integrated airbag paired with a crash sensor located under the seat which promptly deploys the airbag in the event of an accident.
“The driver here was to create a new type of lap belt airbag to protect passengers in the front row of the [economy] cabin and also in business and first class,” company president Martin Nadol told Runway Girl Network.
“And the difference to existing products for the most part is the shape, the design of the bag itself. It’s a double-wedge airbag, which helps avoid excessive testing. So it’s a shape that can be easily used on all standard cabin configurations without having to develop a new airbag shape with every new program. So it saves a lot of cost for the airlines, for the seat manufacturers to certify.”
Notably, during sled testing, the airbag doesn’t hit the anthropomorphic test dummy smack in the face. “That’s the special shape of the double wedge that we’re using. So it basically keeps the upper body back in the seat so you have less forward movement,” explained Nadol.
He continued:
The goal really is to have no head impact at all, which for the front row is something that is in most cases achievable.
When you have row to row, or exit row situations, there may be a little bit of head contact, but the overall goal is to really keep the body in the seat. So you don’t even have to dive into the airbag once it’s deployed.
Many nested seating configurations in first and business class cabins are only possible because inflatable aircraft restraint systems address the particular head injury criterion (HIC) which these seat designs pose. The airbag ensures there is less forward flail.
Airbags in seat belts are also used to overcome the distance requirements of seats from bulkheads in order to fit more seats onto aircraft.
As airlines adopt larger IFE screens, including in economy class, AirPRO could also be used to ease HIC testing and certification of integrated IFE/seats, including for exit row applications.
“That’s one of the applications of course,” said Nadol, “but even in business class and first class with oblique seating situations, the product will be a great advantage.”
Among the complaints that passengers have about airbag restraint systems in general is the weight and rigidity of the seatbelt on their laps. But AirPRO feels a fair bit lighter, as RGN observed at the 2024 Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg.
“It is a bit lighter,” confirmed the SCHROTH president, “but I think the main complaint coming from passengers is the stiffness of lap belt airbags. And we try to basically pack the airbag in a way that makes it a much softer piece of equipment. So it is smoother around the body and it doesn’t bother you as much as a very stiff product.”
At the same time, there’s a lot of options for customization with SCHROTH providing a variety of materials, colours, trim and finish.
The Arnsberg, Germany-headquartered firm has a launch customer for AirPRO, and is working with all the major seat manufacturers.
Airlines can also customize their seatbelt buckles. Image: Mary Kirby
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All images credited to the author, Mary Kirby
