A Study on the Proposed Structure, Materials, and Manufacturing Method for Smart Airbag Shells Protecting the Head of lderly Vietnamese Users
Main Article Content
Abstract
Amid the global trend of population aging and the increasing risk of falls among older adults, the development of active protective assistive devices is of critical importance. Falls not only cause severe physical injuries but also exert significant sychological and financial burdens on the elderly and their families. Smart airbags, which are widely used as safety devices in the automotive industry, should be further investigated for potential applications in healthcare, particularly in protecting the head and other vulnerable regions of the elderly body during falls. This paper presents a comprehensive synthesis and analysis of published research related to the structural design, materials, and fabrication technologies of smart airbags. Based on this analysis, it proposes research directions that are tailored to the anthropometric characteristics of the Vietnamese elderly population and aligned with domestic manufacturing capabilities. The findings provide an essential foundation for the design and development of smart airbag systems for human body protection in general, and head protection in particular, aiming to reduce fall-related injuries among older adults.
Keywords
Smart airbag system, Structural design of smart airbag systems, Human head region
Article Details
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References
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[2] Tuan Linh Nguyen, Abnormal movement (fall) detection using wearable sensors, Ph.D. dissertation, Posts and Telecommunications Institute of Technology, 2021.
[3] S. Sankaran, A. P. Thiyagarajan, A. D. Kannan, K. Karnan, and S. R. Krishnan, Design and development of smart airbag suit for elderly with protection and notification system, in Proc. 6th Int. Conf. Commun. Electron. Syst. (ICCES), Coimbatore, India, Jul. 2021, pp. 1273–1278. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCES51350.2021.9488972
[4] S. Kosse, Wearable Airbags: A game-changer in elderly fall prevention, CA Care Association, 2023. [Online]. Available: ttps://www.cacareassociation.org/news-and-resources/news/wearable-airbags-a-game-changer-in-elderly-fall-prevention
[5] M. Ibrahim, S. Shawish, S. Aldroubi, A. Dawoud, and W. Abdin, Airbag protection and alerting system for elderly people, Applied Sciences, vol. 13, no. 16, p. 9354, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3390/app13169354
[6] R. Nayak, R. Padhye, K. Sinnappoo, L. Arnold, and B. K. Behera, Airbags, Textile Progress, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 209–301, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405167.2013.859435
[7] Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals, Anti-fall airbag: A game-changer in preventing elderly injuries, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.marketresearchintellect.com/blog/anti-fall-airbag-a-game-changer-in-preventing-elderly-injuries/
[8] Y. Liu, Z. Zhang, Y. Chen, K. Du, and W. Ma, Wearable pre-impact fall protection system: A scoping review, Health Policy and Technology, vol. 14, no. 6, rt. 101107, Dec. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hlpt.2025.101107
[9] K. Hu, Z. Guan, Z. He, S. Luo, H. Fang, Y. Zhang, L. Ding, Y. Xu, L. Jiang, C. Fu, X. Zhao, J. Jia and C. Wu, Mechanical property, efficacy, and user experience of an innovative wearable device in preventing fall-induced injuries, Innov. Aging, vol. 8, no. 8, Art. no. igae066, Jul. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igae066
[10] J. Jasonraj, K. Karthikeyan, M. Nandhini, R. Sahana, and E. Vignesh, Smart reusable airbag system for fall detection and protection, Int. J. Sci. Res. Sci. Technol., vol. 12, no. 5, pp. 555–560, Oct. 2025. https://doi.org/10.32628/IJSRST25125501
[11] O. K. Botonis, Y. Harari, K. R. Embry, C. K. Mummidisetty, D. Riopelle, M. Giffhorn, M. V. Albert, V. Heike, and A. Jayaraman, Wearable airbag technology and machine learned models to mitigate falls after stroke, J. NeuroEng. Rehabil., vol. 19, Art. no. 60, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12984-022-01040-4
[12] T. Tamura, T. Yoshimura, M. Sekine, M. Uchida, and O. Tanaka, A wearable airbag to prevent fall injuries, IEEE Transactions on Information Technology in Biomedicine, vol. 13, no. 6, pp. 910–914, 2009.
[13] M. Yao, Q. Zhang, M. Li, H. Li, Y. Ning, G. Xie, G. Zhao, Y. Ma, X. Gao, and Z. Jin, A wearable pre-impact fall early warning and protection system based on MEMS inertial sensor and GPRS communication, Proceedings of the 2015 IEEE 12th International Conference on Wearable and Implantable Body Sensor Networks (BSN), pp. 1–6, 2015.
[14] T. Tamura, T. Yoshimura, M. Sekine, M. Uchida, Development of a wearable airbag for preventing fall-related injuries, in Human-Centered Design, M. Kurosu, Ed., Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 6776, pp. 335-339, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2011.
[15] D. Olsson and U. Sellergren, Airbag suitable for head protection, U.S. Patent 10 390 580 B2, Aug. 20, 2019.
[16] T. Alstin and A. Haupt, System and method for protecting a bodypart, U.S. Patent 8 402 568 B2, Mar. 26, 2013.
[17] Thao Phan Thanh, Nhu Phung An, Anh Do Hoang, and Anh Le Thi Mai, Building the dimensions system for clothes of head body of Vietnamese female elderly people, Proceedings of the 2025 International Conference on Physics and Mechanics of New Materials and Their Applications (PHENMA 2025), 2025.
[18] M. S. Parvez, M. M. Rahman, M. Samykano, and M. Y. Ali, Current advances in fabric-based airbag material selection, design and challenges for adoption in futuristic automobile applications, Materials Today: Proceedings, vol. 107, pp. 158–165, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2023.09.081
[19] R. Nayak, R. Padhye, K. Sinnappoo, L. Arnold, and B. K. Behera, Airbags, Textile Progress, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 209–301, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405167.2013.859435
[20] E. A. Elnashar, Design analysis of functional textiles for smart airbags by nanotechnology in automotive industry, Tekstilna industrija, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322028631_DESIGN_ANALYSIS_OF_FUNCTIONAL_TEXTILES_FOR_SMART_AIRBAGS_BY_NANOTECHNOLOGY_IN_AUTOMOTIVE_INDUSTRY
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[22] M. Ambrus, G. Mucsi, and S. Nagy, Lab-scale processing of waste airbags for the development of fibre-reinforced geopolymer composite, J. Environ. Chem. Eng., vol. 13, Art. 116942, Jun. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.116942
[23] A. Kalyani, S. Riswanth, M. K. Vishnu, M. S. Nazeeha, and K. Pavithrashree, Design and development of wearable smart airbag with protection and notification system, Int. J. Eng. Technol. Manag. Sci., vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 423–429, Mar.–Apr. 2023. https://doi.org/10.46647/ijetms.2023.v07i02.051
[24] P. Altay, Ö. Tektaş Çelikkanat, A. Evren, and E. D. Koçak, Influence of different sewing parameters on seam quality, J. Textile Eng. Fashion Technol., vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 11–16, Jan. 2024. https://doi.org/10.15406/jteft.2024.10.00359
[25] N. Hunt, J. Ott, and A. Viswanath, Airbag fabrics with improved seam performance, European Patent Application P4469631A1, filed Jan. 10, 2023, published Dec. 4, 2024.
[26] S. Hunt, J. Ott, and A. Viswanath, Airbag fabrics with improved seam performance, U.S. Patent 20250003119A1, filed Jan. 02, 2024, published Jan. 02, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://patents.justia.com/patent/20250003119
[27] R. Keshavaraj, Airbag cushion comprising sewn reinforcement seams, U.S. Patent 6 364 356 B1, Apr. 2, 2002.
[28] J. J. Chiou and E. T. Crouch, Airbag having reinforced seams, U.S. Patent Application US 2002/0195808 A1, Dec. 26, 2002
[29] J. Barnes, N. Hunt, V. Sharma, M. Townson, and A. Gauthier, Airbags and methods for production of airbags, U.S. Patent 11 708 045 B2, Jul. 25, 2023.