There has been a lot of innovation, actually, in the last few years. One is the ever increasing forward and rear facing limits- a few years ago there were virtually no seats that harnessed past 40 lbs, now we have a plethera of seats which do this. EPP/EPS foam, the same stuff that is in a helmet, has been used for years to increased ride down time (create a “softer landing” if you will). This is a different technology trying to achieve that objective, which resembles, in pictures, a sponge like material covered in plastic. A sort of airbag. Maybe it is safer than our current technology, maybe not. No way of knowing. The biggest thing about safety in car seats, after you pass proper and correct use, is keeping children rear facing as long as possible- preferable until at least their 4th birthday. Rearfacing spreads crash forces more evenly, and also provides vital restraint to the head and neck which we do not have in current forward facing seats. They have had technology for extended rearfacing in Sweden for a very long time, this is not new science although the US is just now playing catch up. This seat appears to accommodate children for quite a long time, longer than almost any other seat on the market, which will be a marked improvement over the current market. Although, ideally, we would like seats that rearface to 50 lbs or greater.