Indienov
A belt that looks like any other, but detects a fall and deploys an airbag to protect the hip.
CE medical device
Protect older people's hips with an airbag nobody can see.
The client
Indienov develops a connected belt for older people. According to the company, around 80,000 hip fractures occur every year in France; for an elderly person, a single fall can mean the loss of independence.
The belt looks like an ordinary belt. It contains a fall detector and an airbag that deploys when a fall is detected, to protect the hip.
The request
Indienov asked SME to design the airbag: define robust, viable concepts, then build the first prototypes.
The challenges
- Fit the airbag, the electronics and the gas generator into an extremely compact volume, worn all day long.
- Withstand explosive inflation: extreme mechanical stress on materials and seams, within milliseconds.
- Cover the right area at the right time: a complex final shape that has to deploy correctly around the hip.
- Stay discreet: a medical device that should not look like one.
Solutions and results
An airbag shape optimised for minimal folded volume, covering the hip area once deployed.
Thin materials, selected to withstand deployment loads without making the belt heavier.
Iterative prototypes, to converge on the airbag's final shape.
The belt was presented at CES 2024 and certified as a CE medical device.
Client testimonial
“With his methodical and innovative approach, he defined robust and viable concepts, turning an idea into a concrete solution. He also built the first prototypes with great technical skill […].”Pierre-Yves Le Guen, senior engineer on the project (translated from French)
Images: Indienov.