A Study on the Proposed Structure, Materials, and Manufacturing Method for Smart Airbag Shells Protecting the Head of Elderly Vietnamese Users

Tóm tắt

Amid the global trend of population aging and the increasing risk of falls among older adults, the development of active protective assistive devices is of critical importance. Falls not only cause severe physical injuries but also exert significant psychological and financial burdens on the elderly and their families. Smart airbags, which are widely used as safety devices in the automotive industry, should be further investigated for potential applications in healthcare, particularly in protecting the head and other vulnerable regions of the elderly body during falls. This paper presents a comprehensive synthesis and analysis of published research related to the structural design, materials, and fabrication technologies of smart airbags. Based on this analysis, it proposes research directions that are tailored to the anthropometric characteristics of the Vietnamese elderly population and aligned with domestic manufacturing capabilities. The findings provide an essential foundation for the design and development of smart airbag systems for human body protection in general, and head protection in particular, aiming to reduce fall-related injuries among older adults.