Crash testing vehicles to ensure the safety of occupant restraint systems and the overall design of the vehicle is nothing new. Automakers and the U.S. Government regularly crash test vehicles to study how protected the occupants will be in an accident.
One thing that many of the crash tests have in common is the use of crash test dummies. These dummies are used to get an approximation of how a human would be affected in a crash inside a vehicle. The test results give automakers an idea of how occupant restraints work and how likely drivers are to survive a crash in the vehicles.
One of the downsides to crash testing with dummies is the cost and the fact that dummies are much less complex than humans are. Each crash test dummy costs somewhere in the range of $5,000 to $100,000 and only come in three sizes that approximate people. The average life span for a dummy is only ten years and the dummies must be repaired after each crash test.
A group of automakers and auto suppliers have banded together to form the Global Human Models Consortium (GHMC) with the goal of funding the development of a very complex and very realistic computer model of a human to use in virtual crash testing.
Two teams of engineers from the University of Virginia Center for Biometrics will play major roles in the development f the virtual dummy. One of the engineers, Richard Kent said in a statement, "Already, cars and their safety systems are designed on computers. 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."
Kent is heading a six-member team that will be responsible for creating the highly detailed and realistic model of the human thorax and upper extremities including the ribcage, ligaments, heart, and lungs. Another engineer from the University, Jeff Crandall, will be leading another team that is focused on developing the model for the virtual pelvis and lower extremities.
Each team was awarded $3 million to complete the models by the GHMC. Researchers at six additional universities and institutes are working on models of other body parts including the head, neck, and abdomen.
One researcher on the project at the University of Virginia, Damien Subit said, "Eventually all of these models will be joined together to create the most sophisticated and lifelike simulation of the entire human body ever assembled for safety testing."
Not only will the virtual dummy be much cheaper, basically free to use, after the development is complete; it will be much more accurate and the researchers say it will allow much more detailed crash tests to help make automobiles safer. Kent said, "This will be an adaptable, cost-saving system that will provide amazing insight to body injuries for improving auto safety."
The researchers also see uses for the virtual dummy models outside of automotive crash testing. Kent believes that the detailed dummy could be used in the design of safer sporting goods and in medical schools for students to use in studying trauma.