Airbags on the outside of Ford cars?

Ford is developing technology that could protect pedestrians in the event of a crash.

The ‘pedestrian protection system’ would see cameras and sensors detecting people on foot and deploy a series of countermeasures to keep them safe, the Daily Mail reports.

Those countermeasures could include an inflatable bumper that bursts outwards to protect the pedestrian’s legs and airbags that pop out from the bonnet.

An extendable hood that would cover the bottom of the windscreen could also protect a pedestrian’s head if they go over the bonnet.

“Equipping vehicles to enhance pedestrian safety has been a subject of growing interest in recent years,” Ford wrote in its patent application.

“Unfortunately existing pedestrian protection systems require vehicles to include bulky and unwieldy energy absorbing materials at a front end of a vehicle.”