AI-SAFe

Adaptive Occupant Safety for Automated Driving

The AI-SAFe research project (Adaptive Occupant Safety for Automated Driving) aims to fundamentally improve the safety of vehicle occupants in the context of automated mobility. The focus is on developing intelligent, adaptive restraint systems that adjust in real time to the specific accident situation as well as to individual occupant characteristics.

Automated driving is changing how vehicles are used and enabling new seating positions and movement patterns. As a result, traditional safety systems such as airbags and seat belts are increasingly reaching their limits. AI-SAFe addresses this challenge with a novel, AI-based approach that controls safety systems in a proactive and personalized manner.

Goals and Approach

The goal of the project is to develop adaptive safety systems that:

• Detect and predict accident scenarios early on
• Take into account occupant characteristics such as height, build, age, and seating position
• Analyze occupant movement before and during an accident
• Individually adapt protective mechanisms such as airbags and seat belts

In this way, the project aims to significantly reduce the risk of injury and make an important contribution to Vision Zero—the goal of eliminating traffic fatalities.

Technological Core

AI-SAFe’s innovative approach is based on the intelligent integration of multiple technologies:

• AI-based accident and situation prediction
• Sensor-based detection of occupant position and movement
• Biomechanical models for assessing potential injuries

These components make it possible to adapt safety functions not only reactively, but also proactively and dynamically.

Project Context and Funding

The project is initiated by the Ingolstadt University of Technology and is funded with approximately one million euros.

Funding is provided by the Bavarian Research Foundation, which supports innovative, application-oriented research projects at the interface between science and industry.

Close collaboration between research and industry fosters an interdisciplinary approach that combines insights from automotive engineering, artificial intelligence, and biomechanics. In the long term, the technologies developed are intended to contribute to a sustainable increase in road safety and strengthen confidence in automated vehicles.

More project information:

• Article Dec 2025 Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt
• Article March 2026 Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt
• Safetywissen by carhs