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

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Car air bag sensor. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the surface of a micro- accelerometer from a car's air bag. A pencil tip is shown for scale. The mauve 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: x10 at size.

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Size: 3145px × 2169px
Photo credit: © VOLKER STEGER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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