Hyosung's Germany subsidiary seals deal to ship airbags for Amazon’s self-driving robotaxi

By Lim Chang-won Posted : March 16, 2021, 15:02 Updated : March 16, 2021, 15:02

[Courtesy of Hyosung Advanced Materials]


SEOUL -- A German subsidiary of Hyosung Advanced Materials, an advanced materials production company in South Korea, will ship airbags for a robotaxi unveiled by Amazon’s self-driving vehicle company, Zoox. Along with an array of cameras and sensors, the self-driving vehicle will be equipped with an airbag system on all four seats.

Hyosung Advanced Materials said that its subsidiary, GST Global Gmb based in Germany, has sealed a contract to provide one-piece woven (OPW) airbags to Zoox' robotaxi from 2022 through ZF Friedrichshafen AG, a German car parts maker. OPW airbags made with a special weaving technique that makes it possible to bypass the sewing process can take a multitude of shapes. As OPW can maintain the inflated state longer than ordinary airbags, it can protect passengers more safely.

"Based on GST's excellent product development and OPW airbag manufacturing technology, we will continue to launch innovative products that meet the needs of users who will be more diverse in the era of new mobility," Hyosung Advanced Materials CEO Hwang Jung-mo said in a statement on March 16.

The robotaxi unveiled by Zoox is the world's first fully autonomous vehicle with a box-shaped body, which is frequently used in purpose-built vehicles, where the interior composition varies depending on the purpose of use and airbags require new designs with scalability to accommodate free space design.

Airbags of self-driving cars that are more diverse and free than existing vehicles should be designed in three dimensions. Hyosung Advanced Materials said that airbags to be used for Amazon's robotaxi burst out of the ceiling and deploy in a 90-degree form due to changes in the space layout.
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