ZF LifeTec Rearranges The Airbag Position On The Steering Wheel

Since the introduction of driver airbags in the 1980s, they have had a permanent place in the centre of the steering wheel, in its hub. But the steering wheel has evolved and it now also the command centre for entertainment and other assistance functions. Now, ZF Lifetec has designed a new generation of steering wheel to expand the design possibilities of future-oriented interior concepts.

The driver's airbag is nowadays deployed frontal out of centre of the steering wheel but ZF Lifetec has rethought this process and in the event of an accident, the driver airbag deploys from the top side of the steering wheel through the upper steering wheel rim towards the driver. This new installation position of the airbag allows the horizontal spoke, including the hub, to have a seamless, smartphone-like design.

Force-sensitive controls for the vehicle's entertainment and assistance functions are integrated behind a continuous surface. The seamless design not only opens many possibilities for the use of new materials and shapes, but also in terms of function. On-demand functions (freely assignable fields), touch displays, or a central screen are now conceivable.