Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a concept safety car that extends the protection of airbags throughout the inside and outside of the vehicle. Technology reporter Adam Balkin filed the following report.

In the U.S. headquarters for Mercedes-Benz in Montvale, N.J., a new concept safety car has been brought in from Germany that uses the power of airbags to keeps its occupants safe and the vehicle's body protected.

The doors contain air-filled "pillars" that can quickly inflate like airbags right before a crash, to create more cushion even before the force of the impact is able to reach inside the cabin.

"The gas inside, with this gas we can stabilize this structure and so it is stiffer and lighter," says Michael Fehring of Mercedes-Benz.

The car also has uniquely-placed airbags. One airbag that pops up between the passenger and the driver becomes so rigid that it acts like an "air wall," to help cushion the driver in case of an event like a rollover.

"The airbag is between the occupant and the driver side and the goal is to fix the driver so he will be held in the seat," says Fehring.

On the passenger side, a size-adaptive airbag can protect without doing more damage than the impact of the crash.

"Depending on the seating position, we adjust the shape and size of the airbag," says Fehring.

Researchers also squeezed some air into the back seats' seat belts, to minimize the damage the belts themselves can do in a crash.

"This 'belt-bag' doubles the surface, and it's better for the occupant to disperse the load on a wider surface," says Fehring. "We noticed that the force we're bringing to the chest only with the belt is high."

Developers say some of these innovations may hit cars within the next couple years, while others will take several years to appear.