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John Willard Hetrick | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Engineer |
Known for | Airbag Inventor |
John Willard Hetrick (July 23, 1918 - April 8, 1999), from Newport, Pennsylvania, was an American engineer who is credited for inventing the airbag. Hetrick originally called the device a "Safety cushion assembly for automotive vehicles." He built the original prototype on his kitchen table in 1952, and applied for a patent on Aug 5, 1952. [1]
He has served as an industrial engineer in the United States Navy and took notable design influences from compressed air torpedoes.
Hetrick received a US Patent #2,649,311 on August 18, 1953 for an "airbag". [2] He did not receive much income for his invention, since automakers did not offer airbags widely until after his patent had expired in 1971.
Hetrick was awarded the Golden Gear Award for his invention.
"Milestones - Automotive Engineer". Ae-plus.com. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
Lisa Wade McCormick (25 September 2006). "A Short History of the Airbag". Consumeraffairs.com. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
"JOHN W. HETRICK by Aminah Badmus on Prezi". Prezi.com. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
"Cushioning the Blow: History of Automotive Airbags". Secondchancegarage.com. 1968-01-01. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
A seat belt, also known as a safety belt or spelled seatbelt, is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the driver or a passenger of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt reduces the likelihood of death or serious injury in a traffic collision by reducing the force of secondary impacts with interior strike hazards, by keeping occupants positioned correctly for maximum effectiveness of the airbag, and by preventing occupants being ejected from the vehicle in a crash or if the vehicle rolls over.
An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate exceptionally quickly and then deflate during a collision. It consists of an airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. The purpose of the airbag is to provide a vehicle occupant with soft cushioning and restraint during a collision. It can reduce injuries between the flailing occupant and the vehicle's interior.
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