Automotive supplier ZF's new airbag technology can be packaged behind a display in the steering wheel, and they swear it's safe.that people simply want more screen real estate in their cars. At least, that's what automakers are planning, so the supplier world must innovate and keep up. Someto the interiors beyond the central touchscreen or driver's head-up display now, with new displays specific for front- and rear-seat passengers.
ZF Group's LIFETEC division helped develop the new technology, which folds and packages the airbag apparatus neatly behind a small central screen on a vehicle steering wheel, surrounded by other physical buttons and controls but this part is probably largely adjustable to various brand tastes and feature requirements—all to say we could easily see haptic touch points, real buttons, touch sliders, or other controls flanking the steering screen itself and it may not be limited to just what...
However, representatives did assure us that "the driver airbag rotates synchronously with the steering wheel so that the airbag can deploy through the same opening at any steering angle," like a normal airbag in a steering wheel. The airbag that deploys is kept behind the screen and folds out and inflates through the gap between the center of the wheel pad and the upper rim edge of the circumference of the wheel, as seen in a demo video from the company's reveal presentation.
The image of the real-world demo unit at the tech's reveal shows buttons for Bluetooth phone connection and audio control on the right of the central steering screen, and light controls, wiper functions, and what appears to be speedometer settings mapped on the left buttons; it's possible these buttons have a digital display backing as well and could potentially be programmed to different functions. This is all speculative on our part.
A steering wheel screen or tablet will likely only offer a redundant information readout and basic control functions; it's not big enough for entertainment, and there's no self-driving system at play that allows the driver to totally disconnect from the road yet, anyway. The best case is a resulting minimalist layout that affords better views from less dashboard clutter or fewer physical controls.