Toyota Develops Active Headrest

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Toyota has developed the Active Headrest, a new head restraint that reduces the stress on the neck during low-speed, rear impacts. Toyota Motor Corporation plans to introduce the head restraint shortly, starting with new vehicle models. The Active Headrest has been developed to reduce the risk of whiplash injuries sustained during rear-end collision. The Active Headrest is an extension of the WIL concept seat, in which both the seatback and head restraint simultaneously cushion the head and lower back to reduce stress on the neck. In-house testing of the Active Headrest showed that it reduced the severity of whiplash injury by 10-20% on Toyota’s neck injury evaluation index compared with the traditional WIL concept seat.


As part of its efforts to realize sustainable mobility, Toyota intends to strengthen its traffic safety initiatives in the future through activities designed to educate people in traffic safety, thereby contributing to the complete elimination of traffic casualties, which can be viewed as the ultimate hope of a society that values mobility.