GM files patent

A newly issued U.S. patent shows that General Motors are planning to protect pedestrians by way of external airbags. Dated December 5, and originally filed for patent protection in 2014, the US Patent and Trademark Office issued the patent to GM Global Technology Operations LLC, and in the documents it's being described as a "fender-located pedestrian protection airbag." The external airbags appear to be located at the front side of a vehicle and are hidden behind a "discrete door," which is located at the top of the wing just underneath the hood and just in front of the A-pillar. GM states that the exterior airbags are designed to protect pedestrians from impact near the front of the vehicle’s structure. The intent is to cushion the blow pedestrians experience when they are struck by an oncoming car. Automakers usually like to keep their latest developments behind closed doors but due to the accessibility of the public U.S. Patent Office files, we can take a look at what GM is working on.  Tom Wilkinson, a spokesman for General Motors, recently told the Autoblog website that "the pedestrian protection airbag could become an important engineering solution in the future." If you would like to read the patent yourself, then you can do so here, at the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s website.