Wearable Airbags Instantly Protect The Elderly When They Fall
By Mikelle Leow, 29 Dec 2023
Image via Suzhou Yidaibao
To address an aging population, a Chinese tech startup has floated a meaningful invention to keep seniors safe: inflatable vests and belts designed to protect seniors when they fall.
These wearable airbags, engineered by Suzhou Yidaibao Intelligent Technology Company and first introduced in 2019, offer a cushioned landing for those at risk of serious injury from a tumble. Buoying their functionality is a micro gyroscope and processor, diligently working together to detect the motion and angle of a fall.
Once a potential accident is identified, the garment blows up within a swift 0.18 seconds, significantly faster than the average time it takes for someone to hit the ground.
A company in eastern China’s Jiangsu designed wearable airbag jackets to protect the elderly from tumbles. The protective system can react within 0.18 seconds with a chip that monitors changes in posture in real time and senses a potential impactpic.twitter.com/OMbts1J2qr
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) December 26, 2023
It’s a race against gravity, and these airbags are designed to win.
A microchip in these life-saving accessories collects human movement data 200 times per second and a proprietary artificial intelligence algorithm analyzes their posture, making these vests and belts high-tech shields against falls. The durable one-piece woven (OPW) airbag fabric only adds to the robustness of this protective gear, offering both wear-resistance and peace of mind.
Image via Suzhou Yidaibao
Song Zhangxuan, the deputy manager of the innovative company, acknowledges the dual challenges of real-time posture analysis and rapid airbag inflation. Yet, with an estimated 200 million elderly individuals in China alone, the potential impact of these wearable airbags is vast, promising a safer future for seniors and a sigh of relief for their loved ones.
Image via Suzhou Yidaibao
As technology strides forward, it’s clear that the welfare of the world’s elderly is riding a wave of innovation. It’s inspiring to know their golden years can be safeguarded with the cushion of cutting-edge technology.
[via Euronews, South China Morning Post, Samir Khayat, images via Suzhou Yidaibao]