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Background Hip-protecting wearable airbags are a novel development, designed for improved efficacy and improved wearer experience compared to traditional hard shell hip protectors. The latter, though effective when worn, are seldom used due to their discomfort to the wearer. Though commercially available, there is limited published data on the efficacy, acceptability or safety of hip-protecting wearable airbags. Here we report on a serious adverse incident (SAE) in one individual wearing one such device. Case presentation A community-dwelling 83 year old female participated in a clinical trial exploring the acceptability and usability of hip-protecting wearable airbags in older adults. She had normal cognition and used a zimmer frame or two walking sticks to mobilise. She had had no falls in the last year but had a marked Fear of Falling (FoF). She had osteoporosis without a fracture history and had centripetal obesity. She was fitted with a commercially-available hip-protecting wearable airbag worn around the waist as a belt with a snap buckle closure, and an elasticated component to ensure fit. Researchers were satisfied that she was able to fit, wear and remove it correctly after instruction and demonstration. On day three of study participation, the participant was walking outdoors and whilst unnoticed to her, the belt was observed by a passer-by to have slipped down to her thighs, ultimately straddling her stride resulting in a fall and distal femur fracture. The participant was found on the ground with the hip-protecting wearable airbag positioned just above her knees, with the buckle still fastened. She required surgical fixation of the fracture and had a prolonged, complicated hospital stay. Conclusions Hip-protecting wearable airbags, though a promising development, may cause serious injury due to slippage risk, particularly in those with centripetal obesity. A manufacturer’s warning should accompany these commercially-available devices to safeguard the user until design change is considered.

Airbags have substantially reduced mortality and morbidity, while ocular injuries caused by airbags have been reported. We applied a three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) model we have established for evaluation of the deformation of an intact eyeball of various axial lengths induced by an airbag impact at various impact velocities. A model human eye we have created was used in simulations with an FEA program, PAM-GENERIS™ (Nihon ESI, Tokyo, Japan). The airbag was set to impact eyes with various axial lengths of 21.85 mm (hyperopia), 23.85 mm (emmetropia) and 25.85 mm (myopia), at initial velocities of 30, 40, 50 and 60 m/s. Changes in the shape of the eye and the strain induced were calculated. Deformation of the eye in a cross-sectional view was displayed sequentially in slow motion. We found that considerable damage, such as corneal or scleral lacerations, was observed especially at higher impact velocities, such as 50 or 60 m/s, in eyes with any axial length. Deformation was most evident in the anterior segment. The decrease rate of axial length was greatest in the hyperopic eye, followed by the myopic eye, and the emmetropic eye. It was shown that hyperopic eyes are most susceptible to deformation by an airbag impact in this simulation. The considerable deformation by an airbag impact on the eye during a traffic accident shown in this study might indicate the necessity of ocular protection to avoid permanent eye damage.

Renewable energy is a prominent area of research within the energy sector, and the storage of renewable energy represents an efficient method for its utilization. There are various energy storage methods available, among which compressed air energy storage stands out due to its large capacity and cost-effective working medium. While land-based compressed air energy storage power stations have been constructed worldwide, their efficiency remains low. Underwater compressed air energy storage has the potential to significantly enhance efficiency, although no such device currently exists. This paper presents the design of an UWCA-FABESD utilizing five flexible air bags for underwater gas storage and discharge. Additionally, it introduces the working principle of the adiabatic underwater compressed air energy storage system and device. Furthermore, a small-scale physical model with similar functionality was designed and manufactured to simulate the charging process of the air bag in onshore charging and discharging tests as well as posture adjustment and lifting arrangement tests, along with underwater charging and discharging tests. These experiments validated the related functions of the designed underwater compressed air flexible bag energy storage device while proposing methods for its improvement. This research provides a new approach to underwater compressed air energy storage.

Accident emergency calling systems (AECSs) are signaled by the deployment of airbags, which causes them to automatically emit information providing the location of the accident site to a public service answering party (PSAP). In some realworld accidents, airbags have failed to deploy. This study clarifies the factors that influence the nondeployment of front airbags in vehicle-vehicle collisions, investigating nondeployment of the driver-side front airbags in sedans and light passenger cars (LPCs) from Japanese accident data. The component rates of deployment for front airbags tend to be higher than those of nondeployment at higher values of pseudo-ΔV in vehicle-vehicle frontal impacts. For both sedans and LPCs, the transition zones between nondeployment and deployment of the front airbag occur at pseudo-ΔV values of 30-50 km/h (ΔV ≈ 21-35 km/h). For mutual impact locations where sedans and LPCs impact opponent vehicles at pseudo-ΔV ≥ 40 km/h (ΔV ≈ 28 km/h) in frontal impacts, the component rate of front airbag nondeployment is higher than that of deployment in right-to-right impacts. The results indicate that factors influencing front airbag nondeployment in vehicle-vehicle collisions are ΔV, impact offset configuration, and crossing angle. Considering front airbag nondeployment in real-world accidents, AECSs should have other functions, such as a manual button, to emit information in addition to automatic emission via airbag signaling.

Major reports are saying that many children were dead due to the unclosed bore wells. The rescue process cannot be handled smoothly because the environment inside the bore well cannot be predicted by easy means. A less expensive robot can be developed with simple mechanisms for controlling will simplify the rescue process. A movable robot capable of adjusting to the bore well dimensions is constructed. The robot has two arms that can be adjusted to rescue the child with the support of camera also aiding in the survival of the baby. Some additional features are also introduced to enhance and ease the comfort of the rescue operation. A compressor is used to fill an air bag that is implemented in this robot to make the rescue operation easy and be comfortable to lift the victim safely. The gas and temperature inside the bore well can be measured using gas sensor and temperature sensor respectively.

Background Current screening criteria miss 30% of blunt cerebrovascular injuries (BCVIs). Motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) are the leading BCVI mechanism, and delineating MVC characteristics associated with BCVI formation may augment current screening criteria. Methods We retrospectively identified BCVI Denver injury screening criteria as able from the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) database. Severe MVC markers were considered: mean change in velocity (delta-v) greater than 40 km/hour, steering wheel airbag deployment, ejection, or rollover. Results 93 BCVIs were included. Injury screening criteria were not present in 37/93 (39.8%) BCVIs. Vertebral BCVI more often had injury screening criteria than internal carotid BCVIs (73.2% vs 26.8%, P = .001). There was a significant difference in delta-v (30.78 km/hour vs 51.00 km/hour, P < .001) between BCVI with and without injury screening criteria. BCVI without injury screening criteria more often had safety device use through seatbelt position snug across the hips (94.6% vs 74.5%, P = .01) and pretensioner deployment (92.6% vs 70.2%, P = .04). Examining only drivers, BCVI without injury screening criteria more often had steering wheel airbag deployment (89.7% vs 68.9%, P = .05). Markers of severe MVC were seen in 36/37 (97.3%) BCVIs without injury screening criteria. Discussion BCVI without injury screening criteria occurred during higher deceleration MVCs with more frequent/appropriate safety device use, suggesting crash deceleration as a mechanism of BCVI formation. Expanding BCVI screening criteria to encompass severe MVCs may lessen the number of BCVI missed.

Airdropped equipment is important for cargo delivery and battlefield support. However, its development is constrained by the harsh conditions of high-altitude environments. To address the issues of low cushioning efficiency and instability of airdropped equipment in high-altitude environments, this study proposes a combined airbag system designed for the landing cushioning of heavy airdropped equipment under high-altitude and low-pressure conditions. A cylindrical side airbag and its folding–deployment scheme were developed. The cushioning performance of the proposed combined airbag was compared with that of a conventional airbag under two typical conditions. The effects of vent orifice opening pressure, vent orifice area, and main airbag height on cushioning performance were analyzed, along with their influence on the peak deceleration of the equipment. The airdrop environmental adaptability under complex interactive environments was evaluated through the Monte Carlo surrogate model method. The results indicate that the proposed combined airbag exhibits superior cushioning performance in high-altitude, low-pressure environments, reducing the peak deceleration by 44.9% and 50% under the two conditions. As the height of the main airbag increases, the peak overload of the equipment progressively decreases. In contrast, as the vent orifice area increases, the peak overload initially decreases and then increases. When the main airbag height is 1.35 m and the vent orifice area is 0.4 m2, the system achieves the best damping performance and landing stability at a 4500 m altitude environment. The overall airdrop success rate reaches 93.33% across various complex environments. This study provides a viable solution to meet the airdrop requirements of heavy equipment in high-altitude environments.

Approximately 3% of individuals in road traffic accidents suffer ocular injuries. We present a case of a man in his late 80s who presented with bilateral corneal decompensation following airbag deployment during a road traffic accident. Ocular examination revealed multilevel ocular injury with severe bilateral corneal oedema. This was managed with topical steroids, mydriatics and antibiotic therapy. At 1-month follow-up, the left eye had persistent corneal oedema. Specular microscopy was performed which confirmed endothelial cell loss making the patient a candidate for a corneal endothelial graft. We observed blunt trauma from airbag deployment causing endothelial cell loss and subsequent corneal decompensation. Our findings suggest that patients presenting to the emergency department with facial trauma from airbag injury should be referred for comprehensive ophthalmological assessment and that the reviewing ophthalmologist should have endothelial cell loss in mind during examination.

Side impacts tend to produce more severe injuries than frontal collisions, particularly for vulnerable occupants such as children. Despite this, there is a limited number of studies and developments focused on side impact protection systems, and existing airbag evaluations often rely on destructive and high-cost test methods. This study introduces a novel, cost-effective, and nondestructive experimental testbed designed to evaluate curtain airbags for vehicles in segments B, C, D, and E. The main objective is to develop an adjustable mechanical structure that replicates the side frame geometry of multiple vehicles, allowing the mounting and evaluation of various curtain airbags under realistic conditions. The prototype, capable of withstanding deployment forces of up to 7000 N, was tested with a 3-year-old child dummy, recording a peak head acceleration of 136.17 g, corresponding to AIS level 2. Deployment speeds reached 7.77 m/s, with inflation times between 29 and 36 ms—values that fall within the range reported in previous experimental and numerical studies. The testbed demonstrated consistency in its performance metrics and offers a valuable tool for enhancing child occupant safety in side impacts. Furthermore, it provides a measurable Head Injury Criterion (HIC) range that can be used to interpret injury severity in child occupants. This work contributes significantly to the development of flexible and safe testing methodologies for side airbag systems, reducing the reliance on full-scale crash testing.

We present a case of a man in his early 50s, who developed severe respiratory distress following exposure to airbag fumes after a road traffic accident. Despite initial treatment for lower respiratory tract infection, his condition worsened, necessitating intensive care unit admission and mechanical ventilation (MV). Subsequent investigations ruled out infections, autoimmune causes and lung contusion, leading to a diagnosis of chemical pneumonitis secondary to sodium azide exposure. Treatment with pulse steroids and prone positioning during MV resulted in significant clinical improvement. The patient was successfully extubated and discharged after 23 days with complete resolution of respiratory symptoms. This case underscores the importance of considering chemical pneumonitis in patients presenting with respiratory distress following airbag deployment and highlights the effective management strategies that contributed to the patient’s recovery.