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New Project Will Advance AI-Powered Airbags for Children on Bikes

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

The vulnerability of children in bike seats is a physics problem that traditional gear hasn't yet solved. Research shows that in high-impact collisions, head injury thresholds can be exceeded by 23 times. Future Mobility now welcoming Cocoon into its portfolio—a project dedicated to developing an AI-powered airbag system that creates a "safety envelope" for children on bikes.

A gif showing a woman and child on a bike while a car crasches into them

Cyclists, especially children in bike seats, face major safety risks in traffic. Current protective equipment, such as helmets, provide limited protection in high-impact collisions. Research shows that in crashes, bike-mounted child seats can exceed safe head injury thresholds by 23 times.  

In this project, Cocoon Airbag Protection and Tlera Corporation partner to develop a prototype of a child bike seat with an AI-powered airbag—for full-body crash protection. The airbag provides, in addition to the helmet, an enhanced safety layer that can minimize potential injuries. Tests show that the airbag can reduce head injury risk by up to 315 times.  

The project leverages Sweden’s strong traffic safety heritage and builds on collaboration with Tlera Corporation, with expertise in embedded electronics, design, and sensor applications, and a Silicon Valley network for prototyping, scaling, and production. 

Woman on stage in front of people

“We want to change the safety standard of biking with children. In this project, by partnering with our U.S partner, we'll  accelerate the market readiness of our child seat air bag and set the foundation for future international growth.” 

– Emma Garatea, CEO, Cocoon Airbag Protection. 

The project aims to develop an electronics design that advances Cocoon’s airbag and sensor platform into a production-ready, designed-for-manufacture prototype. By integrating accelerometers, signal processing, and Bluetooth communication into a modular, repairable system, the team will demonstrate a full-scale prototype equipped with production-ready PCB and firmware.

illustration of the cocoon airbag

This foundation allows the project to move further, creating a self-diagnostic design that supports Cocoon’s circular subscription model while developing ML algorithms to improve detection speed and extend battery life. Such automated decision-making not only enhances the Cocoon prototype but also enables Tlera to apply advanced ML sensor expertise to broader urban mobility safety systems. Ultimately, the partnership leverages Tlera Corp’s Silicon Valley network and U.S. productization expertise to accelerate market readiness and secure future international growth. 

This collaboration is the result of a joint effort led by Future Mobility, co-funded by Vinnova and the Swedish Energy Agency, and in collaboration with California’s Air Resources Board, Public Utilities Commission, and Energy Commission. The initiative is designed to foster partnerships and make the research and innovation (R&I) network between Sweden and the United States denser and to speed up the development towards sustainable mobility. 

illustration of the cocoon airbag

Cocoon

Cocoon is an advanced safety platform designed to protect the most vulnerable road users i.e. children in bike seats. While traditional helmets offer basic protection, Cocoon introduces a...
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Hans Pohl

Future Mobility
Program Director
hans.pohl@lindholmen.se
+46(0)70-840 27 40
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Innovation projects

On this site, you can find active and finalized projects with co-funding from Future Mobility.

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