Car air bag sensor. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the surface of a micro- accelerometer from a car's air bag. A human hair is shown f

---

Car air bag sensor. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the surface of a micro- accelerometer from a car's air bag. A human hair is shown for scale. The yellow squares are tiny pressure sensors which detect the rapid deceleration which occurs in a crash. They trigger a circuit which starts the rapid inflation of a plastic bag with air or nitrogen gas. The air bag deploys between the driver and the steering wheel in about one fifth of a second, preventing injury as the driver is thrown forward. Magnification: x110 at size.

---

Size: 3160px × 2178px
Photo credit: © VOLKER STEGER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: accelerometer, air, bag, car, crash, hair, mechanical, micro, micro-accelerometer, micromechanical, micromechanics, nano, nanotechnology, pressure, safety, sem, sensor, systems, technology