Airbag
John Hetrick, USA, patent 2,649,311 of 1953. The compressed-gas cushion, ahead of its technology.
Overview
Hetrick, a retired industrial engineer, patented the inflatable vehicle cushion after a brush with a roadside obstacle with his daughter beside him. Walter Linderer filed similar German patents in 1951. Neither sensing nor inflation tech was ready; crash sensors and sodium azide propellant matured in the 1970s. Mercedes put a production airbag in the 1981 S-Class. The 1998 US mandate completed the fleet. Seatbelts and airbags together cut deaths by half.
Related Patents
Steamboat
Fulton's North River Steamboat, the Clermont, ran New York to Albany in 1807 under a New York state monopoly from his patent right...
Steam Locomotive
Stephenson patented improved rails and locomotive designs while building Killingworth colliery engines, then the 1825 Stockton and...
Otis Elevator Safety Brake
Otis demonstrated his safety brake dramatically at the 1853 Crystal Palace, cutting the hoist rope above a crowd. The patent's too...
Safety Bicycle
Starley's RoverSafety standardized the diamond frame, equal-sized wheels, and rear chain drive, replacing the dangerous penny-fart...