Ford is licensing its patented inflatable seat belts, part of an ongoing strategy of sharing intellectual property for a price to make technology more broadly available.
The inflatable seat belts, patented in 2008, were introduced in the 2011 Ford Explorer. Since then they have been added to the 2013 Ford Flex and Lincoln MKT and MKZ, and the 2014 Ford Fusion. Now, they will be available on the 2015 F-150 pickup and other future models.
With patents pending on the third generation of the technology, Ford has decided to offer the original system to suppliers, rival automakers and for use in buses, military vehicles, airplanes, helicopters and even boats, said Chris Danowski, director of technology commercialization for Ford Global Technologies.