Baby Gear and Gadgets Child Safety Technology

Maxi-Cosi unveils first ever car seat with in-built airbags

Maxi-Cosi released the AxissFix Air last week, the world’s first car seat with in-built air bags.

The innovative technology from Maxi-Cosi vastly enhances the safety of a child in forward-facing child car seats. In a collision, two airbags inside the shoulder pads of the harness inflate within 0.05 seconds. The airbags then automatically deflate just one second after collision.

The AxissFix Air works with a CO2 cartridge and an airbag trigger system built into the back of the car seat. It detects a collision within an eye-blinking 0015 seconds. Tests show that the Maxi-Cosi Air Safety technology® reduces the forces acting on the neck vertebrae and the head in the case of a frontal collision by up to a huge 55%.

Maxi-Cosi

New technology

Maxi-Cosi innovation

Andrew Ratcliffe, Managing Director of Maxi-Cosi, says: “Cars are designed to transport adults. And while they did get safer over the decades, child safety is mostly dependent on car seat legislation and experts. Real innovations need to come from our industry, that’s why we are always trying to push the boundaries at Maxi-Cosi. So a few years ago, we investigated if and how airbags could better protect a child’s head and neck in forward-facing car seats.

Successful applications in airbag technology gave us inspiration. Ones like the airbag jackets for motorcyclists and airbag seatbelts in aircraft that inflate during a collision. To develop a new standard, Maxi-Cosi teamed up with Helite, a French company specialised in mobile airbag technology. After many years of development and testing, a ground-breaking technology is the outcome. Our technology will lower the impact of an accident to a child’s neck and head in a forward-facing child car seat. This will result in better safety for toddlers.”

Important role 

As of 17th October 2017, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents RoSPA reported 156 children under the age of five  seriously injured in car accidents. Therefore, car seats clearly play an important role in the reduction of these numbers.

The Maxi-Cosi AxissFix Air is now available for RRP £550 from Mothercare, John Lewis and other good retailers.