ZF Lifetec's steering wheel hides an airbag in the top of wheel rim

Around 2016, when truly self driving autonomous cars were a couple of years away and every auto show featured a concept vehicle designed more for lounging in than driving, screens in conceptual steering wheels were a common sight. We still see them, of course, but not like before. And they are coming, just not as soon as expected. ZF Lifetec, the passive safety division of the ZF conglomerate we know for parts like transmissions and axles, has developed one of the components that will be necessary for this eventuality: An airbag placed in the rim of a steering wheel, not the hub. By emerging from the upper part of the rim (when the wheel is centered), the airbag leaves the hub free for, well, anything.

A small portion of the bag extends into the space between the rim and the hub, centering the device and holding it in place if the bag were to deploy with steering lock applied — an accident with the wheel turned 180 degrees won't have the bag flop into the driver's knees.