Real-time stereo-based vehicle occupant posture determination for intelligent airbag deployment

From 1990 to April 2002, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), airbag deployment has been responsible for 208 deaths in low-severity crashes. Of these deaths, 107 were children between the ages of 1 and 11, 22 were infants, and 32 were women under the height of five feet two inches. In addition to deaths, airbags are responsible for many more incidental injuries and broken bones. These injuries could be avoided if the system had an accurate model of the actual pose of the occupant. This paper discusses a system we are developing to accurately determine the position of the head, torso, and arms of the front-seat occupant of a vehicle.