ABSTRACT
To protect users from sudden impacts, sharp edges, and entanglement, ensure products fail safely by moving, deforming, disconnecting, or breaking away. Users could be injured if a product fails in an unsafe manner. For example, if a parked car’s side mirror were designed to stay put when hit, a pedestrian or cyclist striking the mirror could suffer blunt trauma. Deformation effectively reduces impact forces by absorbing and spreading them over a larger area. That is the principle behind bike helmets, which are designed to sacrificially deform and even break apart if the user’s head strikes a hard object. Some computers, such as MacBook Pros, have a power cable held in place by a strong magnet. Snagging or tripping over the power cord usually causes the cable to disconnect, which can prevent a harmful tripping accident or prevent the computer from falling onto an unsuspecting foot.
