Until now, there was a limit to what situations could be simulated using crash test dummies, because the dummies were made of plastic and steel. A new generation of dummies, however, will be able to do much more than that. An international group of automakers and suppliers has formed the Global Human Body Models Consortium to build a better dummy. The consortium includes nine automakers-- Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor, Nissan Motor, Renault, Toyota, and PSA Peugeot-Citroen.
The new dummy is not made of plastic and steel. In fact, it doesn't involve any physical materials-- it is only a model in a computer. These models are highly detailed reproductions of the human body-- including internal organs, ligaments, blood vessels, skin, and bones.
Engineers, academic researchers, physicians and surgeons from around the world have joined in the consortium to build these human models-- not only adult male models, but women and children as well. They are using medical imaging techniques such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computerized Topography (CT) and laser surface scanning as well as engineering computing techniques like Computer Aided Design (CAD).
"Already, cars and their safety systems are designed on computers," said Richard Kent, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at the University of Virginia. "It's logical that we would create a virtual crash test dummy that would allow us to test these safety systems before they are ever physically built."
Crash Dummies- Testing What Humans Cannot
Development of crash test dummies started in the late 1940s by automobile companies in order to gain insight to how various auto safety systems protect passengers in the car. In 1949, Alderson Research Labs Sierra Engineering built "Sierra Sam," the world's first crash test dummy. Sierra Sam was created under a contract with the United States Air Force, to be used for evaluation of aircraft ejection seats on rocket sled tests.
Crash test dummies developed in the early stage were very crude and designed to verify simple, specific issues, such as the effectiveness of safety belts or airbags. Newer dummies are more sophisticated; for instance, the ADAM spinal system is a mechanical spine that replicates the spine's elasticity in the vertical direction.
Advantages of a Virtual Dummy
Compared to the typical physical crash test dummy, virtual dummies have a number of advantages. One of the biggest merits is the cost. A typical crash test costs about $5,000 to $100,000 (per crash). Once a virtual dummy is built, a virtual crash costs almost nothing. Virtual dummies also live forever, whereas physical dummies have a life span of about 10 years and must be repaired after each crash.
The virtual dummy will also show in detail what specifically happens to organs, bone, and tissue. Perspective crash scenarios can be done infinitely and at different angles and velocities. For instance, researchers can see how a neck breaks in a crash, how a lung is punctured by a broken rib, and so forth. This information is not only good for automakers in improving safety features of their vehicles, but also for medical experts.
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