New Generation of Crash Test Dummies

Reported May 2008

ASBURN, Va. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Traditional crash test dummies have been used since the early 1950s to help study injuries from car crashes, but there's been little change in dummy design. Now, researchers are developing smart, new dummy technology.

The day Nissa Quill was in a car accident, she was thankful her daughter wasn't in the car. "When the airbag went off, my hands and my arms took all of the blow from the airbag," Quill told Ivanhoe. Her injuries didn't take long to notice. "Pretty quickly some bruises and abrasions appeared on my arms," Quill said.

Each year, three million people are injured in car wrecks. Crash test dummies are used to study injuries on humans, but dummies aren't human-like enough to show real injuries. In addition to the steel and rubber "physical" dummies, mechanical engineers are now using new computerized dummies that are more human-like and reveal what's happening inside the bodies of the vehicle occupants during a crash.

"If you have a simulation, you can look at multiple aspects of what really went through the dummy," Pradeep Mohan, Ph.D., a senior research scientist at the National Crash and Analysis Center in Ashburn, Va., told Ivanhoe. "You can really dissect the information much closer."

During a simulated crash test, the researchers can see the cause of the dummy's injuries from various crash angles. The software also allows engineers to remove the dummy's body parts to reveal never-before-seen injury details. "Let's say you want to do a detailed study of the brain injuries … then you can just quickly switch it to a model," Dr. Mohan explained. The tests -- using computerized dummies -- are used to improve safety features in cars and build safer cars that prevent injuries better, keeping drivers and passengers safer.

At thirty-eight years old, Quill had never been in a car accident before. "So now I realize it's not that hard for it to happen," she said. Accidents will happen, but hopefully with fewer injuries. Computerized dummies are also used to design safer sports and military helmets.

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
Santa Monica, CA 90406
(310) 394-1811
http://www.hfes.org

Joan K. Ziemba
Community Relations
The George Washington University
(703) 726-3651
jziemba@va.gwu.edu

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