#1672: BladderBarrier

Inspired by blob jumping, today’s invention is a non-pyrotechnic airbag for use in cars.

It consists of a reinforced air bladder arranged, one per side of the vehicle, as shown on the left.

A side impact (in the right image) absorbs some of the energy from the colliding vehicle and inflates the central barrier, protecting occupants from injuring each other.

Built strongly enough, this system would resist several impacts and require no special timing devices to activate.