[dZired]

Alpinestars has introduced a jacket with an in-built airbag system for BMW Motorrad riders. Both the companies have jointly developed this safety jacket, which even has BMW branding on it. Named Tech-Air, this new jacket is aimed to provide more upper body protection to bike riders.

The jacket consists of a liner vest that has an integrated circuit for the airbag system. All sensors are mounted on the jacket itself, making it independent of the bike. As a result, users can switch bikes without issues. The sensors work continuously using an algorithm to determine whether the rider has had a crash. Once the sensors activate due to a sudden impact, a layer of airbags will be deployed within the jacket that will protect vital parts of the rider's body, including chest, back, kidneys, and shoulders.

Alpinestars has been working on this technology since 2001. The BMW-Alpinestars Tech-Air jacket will go on sale from October 2016. It will be available for both male and female riders.

Source: BMW Blog

[rahulskumar]

I believe the airbags should get activated before any impact occurs
It should inflate as soon as it detects a fall . Hopefully these jackets are reusable ones

[gaurav_3000ad]

Alpinestars Tech-Air Street unit will cost €1,200 when it’s released in Europe this Spring, which at current exchange rates works to be around $1,450. The touring Valparaiso Dry Star jacket will cost €650 ($775) and the Viper textile jacket will be €350 ($420). At a minimum investment of nearly $2,000, it’s approaching nearly 50 per cent of the cost of some entry level bikes but it’s to be expected given how new the technology is.

I know you can't put a price on your life but at almost 2000$ it's quite steep. As they say - competition is a consumers best friend. I'm hoping other companies develop this tech soon so that prices come down to a more realistic level.

[anshumandun]

Originally Posted by rahulskumar

I believe the airbags should get activated before any impact occurs
It should inflate as soon as it detects a fall .

I think the sensors in the jacket measure g forces. If the g forces exceed a threshold, it is assumed that impact is imminent and the airbags deploy in a few milliseconds.

[jinojohnt]

A welcome move, but a few questions:
1. How does the air-bag deploy by itself? Is it mechanical release or electrical release?
2. If the air-bag is triggered and released electrically, which electric supply (battery) does it use? Bike's battery or a separate battery in the jacket (that needs charging)?
3. Looks like the gas chamber (needed to inflate the airbag) is mounted on the jacket. This can cause injury if you fall on it.
4. Will you get the same level of protection that you get by an airbag that is fixed to a sturdy surface (car-dashboard)
5. Going to the next level, how about designing an airbag that is a replacement for a helmet (an 'inflatable' helmet)

Originally Posted by anshumandun

I think the sensors in the jacket measure g forces. If the g forces exceed a threshold, it is assumed that impact is imminent and the airbags deploy in a few milliseconds.

The problem with this approach is that the g forces vary drastically at the time of impact, not long before the impact. That means you would get a measureable change in g forces only when you actually fall down and hit something, not when you are about to fall (assuming the sensor is on you, not on the bike).
Car air-bags, on the other hand, have all the time between the 'bumper-hit' and 'you-hitting-the-dashboard' to activate the sensor and inflate the air-bag.

[GTO]

Check these two videos out. Both are quite insightful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3tREs_ycck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM5PM5prmaA