ZF Lifetec Introduces New Active Heel Airbag To Help Prevent Foot Injuries

ZF Lifetec has introduced a new airbag for cars that will help reduce injuries to the front occupant’s feet in case of an accident. The Active Heel Airbag is designed to work in conjunction with the knee airbag. This safety tech can be adapted to any car without making additional space and will be available to automotive OEMs from 2028. 

Ideally, the occupants should have the seat set in the recommended position so as to avoid any injuries in a collision. However, not everyone sits in the recommended position and that can lead to more serious injuries in the lower portions of the legs. To avoid that, ZF Lifetec has introduced the Active Heel Airbag to create a suitable contact patch for the feet if they are too far away from the designed contact patch. The heel airbag will only be activated when the seat is set to a “comfort position”. 

Harald Lutz, head of development at ZF Lifetec, said, "If the heel strike point is missing, the knees cannot be effectively deployed into the airbag and the knee airbag is less effective. The Active Heel Airbag helps to ensure an adequate heel impact point even in more comfortable seating positions."

ZF Lifetec said the Active Heel Airbag will not only be restricted to the front occupant but can also be used in the driver’s footwell. It will be activated when the “comfort position” button is pressed or through the camera-based driver monitoring system. For the driver’s side, the ZF Lifetec says the airbag will create a level surface over the pedals to reduce the risk of injury further.