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Airbag
Compatible Infant Seat
XSCi's PIONEERED™ II Airbag Compatible
Infant Seat incorporates a tested design that meets the 2004 FMVSS-213
on any passenger seat of a vehicle, with, or without an Airbag.
Indianapolis,
January 29, 2003. Unlike other Rear-facing Infant Seats on the
market which do not now, and may never, meet the 2004 FMVSS-213
even in a straight 213 test setup, the XSCi PIONEERED™ II
Airbag Compatible Infant Seat was independently tested at the
internationally renown CAPE test facility, and proved to meet,
or exceed, the 2004 FMVSS-213. The XSCi PIONEERED™ II Airbag
Compatible Infant Seat met, and exceeded the required test parameters
in a straight 213 test setup, against a hard and unyielding (R-44)
barrier, and interacting with worse case airbags. No other seat
performs within the 2004 FMVSS-213 in the straight 213-test setup,
and disaster occurs in any of the other aforementioned test (and
REAL life) configurations.
PIONEERED™
II Airbag Compatible Infant Seat will be formally introduced at
the 2003 Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) meeting
that will take place in Dallas, Texas, from May 2nd through May
5th, 2003. The primary differences between PIONEERED™ Airbag
Compatible Infant Seat, and PIONEERED™ II, are in the fact
that in the II configuration the seat will meet the 2004 Safety
Standards. Other differences have to do with components, upholstery,
and a number of items that were incorporated due to inputs from
users in the field.
Most infant
seat manufacturers, at this time are looking for the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to reduce the biomechanical
performance parameters of the 2004 FMVSS-213. While this unwarranted
activity is taking place, Xportation Safety Concepts, Inc. (XSCi)
encourages the Government to remain with the new Standard, and
even to add a number of other parameters that are now missing.
Additionally,
XSCi would like to request that other, smaller dummies than the
twelve months Child Restraint Air Bag Interaction (CRABI) dummy
be tested. Smaller infants are different than those twelve months
and older. XSCi would like to go on record and recommend that
six months CRABI dummies be also tested with biomechanical boundaries
changes to accommodate smaller babies. There is little, or no
doubt that infants in the three to six months range require more
support of ALL body muscles than do older babies. It is not only
the neck muscles that require support in a rear-facing seats,
many other of a baby's critical body parts need to dealt with
care, and be supported and segregated from undue forces such as
those that are present at automobile crashes.
The PIONEERED™
Airbag Compatible Infants Seats have been under development for
some ten years. In various configuration seats had undergone well
over one hundred tests in the United States, and in Europe.
XSCi's most
recent tests, and its the utilization of the newest analysis,
and design tools, makes it clear that the present, the FMVSS-213
of 2004 is appropriate, and can be met. The following tests results
are from tests conducted on an XSCi PIONEERED™II Airbag Compatible
Infant Seat, at CAPE, in late January, 2003:
January 29,
2003
Independent
test results, XSCi's PIONEERED™ Airbag Compatible Infant
Seat, in II Configuration:
Test table
Ledger:
Red represent worse case, in the case
of 213, at its pulse edge, or beyond.
Green represents the 2004 FMVSS-213 biomechanical
test parameters.
The ability
to take advantage of airbags in enhancing the safety of traveling
infants is very important. Why should the enormous energy airbags
bring to a crash not be utilized? In the last ten years XSCi spent
a great deal of time trying to saddle airbag energy. As part of
the work, the PIONEERED™ II Airbag Compatible Infant Seat
emerged, it is not only the safest means for transporting infants,
it proves that the NHTSA biomechanical parameters in the 2004
FMVSS-213 are not only valid in protecting infants, but are indeed
doable.
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to February 2003 Newsletter
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