Airbags

Air bags have been used in automobiles since the 1980s. The trend gathered momentum in the early and mid 1990s, during which major car manufacturers repeatedly boasted putting airbags in their new models for the driver. Beginning in 1998, driver- and passenger-side air bags have been required by law for all new cars in the United States. The air bag, however, was not born in a design room at the Ford Motor Company. The first inflatable …

…in a crash. This is accomplished by the reaction of sodium azide and potassium nitrate, which produces hot nitrogen gas to inflate the bag. To solve the problem of cradling, rather than outright stopping, the air bag is made of porous nylon, which begins to deflate 1 second after deployment. This deflation not only causes a cradling effect, but also prevents the passenger from being trapped in that small space between the seat and the dashboard.