Autoliv has further optimised the driver airbag by developing a fixed-hub steering airbag mechanism

Airbags or Supplementary Restraint System (SRS) are used in an automobile for cushioning the occupants against impact in the event of a collision. The airbag was invented by John W. Hetrick of Newport, PA, US in 1952. He patented the device the following year. Airbags continued to be developed into a finer technology there after and In 1967 Allen K Breed marketed the ball-in-tube sensor for crash detection system he developed. Airbags were made available to the public in November 1973 when General Motors began offering dual airbags as an extra-cost option on several 1974 model full size cars made by the Buick, Cadillac and Oldsmobile divisions. This system was known as the Air Cushion Restraint System. In 1980 Mercedes Benz re-introduced the airbag in Germany that it had patented in 1971 as an option on its high end S-Class (W126). In 1987 the Porsche 944 turbo became the first car in the world to have driver and passenger airbags as standard equipment. The Same year also saw the first airbag in a Japanese car, the Honda Legend.

Airbags became common in the 1980s and were made nearly mandatory in the 1990s. Over the years, automakers have created new forms of airbags, like the side curtain airbag to protect occupants in side impact crashes. They have taken the design that is conceptually simple and where accelerometers trigger the ignition of a gas generator propellant to inflate a nylon fabric bag very rapidly, which reduces the deceleration experienced by the passenger as they come to a stop in the crash, to a new height and application flexibility. While it needs to be understood that the bag has small vent holes to allow the propellant gas to be (relatively) slowly expelled from the bag as the occupant pushes against it, credit should also go to the Swedish company, Autoliv AB (today Autoliv), which was granted a patent on side airbags, and torso side protection airbags were first offered as an option on the 1995 model year Volvo 850. The most recent development at Autoliv involves a fixed-hub steering wheel with optimised airbag.

So far, driver airbags have had to be round and symmetrical to fit inside the steering wheel's hub that moves when turned. The top of the airbag should protect the occupant's head as well as the abdomen and chest but this is hard to optimise since the head and chest have different weights and are at different distances from the bag. To address this situation, Autoliv developed a steering wheel with a fixed hub. As a result, driver airbags can now be designed with an appendix airbag that prevents the driver from hitting the windshield pillar in oblique crashes. The fixed-hub also eliminates the need for a connecting coil. Without this mechanism, the wires to the controls would wear out due to the constant turning. Now, an almost unlimited number of direct cable connections can be made and more controls available on the steering wheel, where they will be more visible and accessible for the driver.