Ford developing virtual six year-old crash test dummy
Ford safety engineers are developing a computerised six year-old crash test dummy to test future technologies such as new airbag systems and inflatable seat belt designs for child safety.
Ford says the technology will take a few more years to develop, and even though using computer-generated simulations is not apart of the validation process for Ford equipment, the technology will allow the company to stretch testing facilities to accommodate and understand child safety more effectively.
The virtual child will take into account all of the variables of a child's body, such as the strength and structural properties of the organs, muscles and bones, as well as the size of such elements. These aspects will then be subjected to computer-generated car crash simulations so the results can be assessed.
Ford says the age is a important category for car safety as this age category doesn't interact with normal seat belts when riding in child restraint setups. Senior technical leader for safety at Ford Research and Advanced Engineering, Dr. Steve Rouhana recently said,
"A child’s body is very different from an adult’s. Building a digital human model of a child will help us design future systems that offer better protection for our young passengers."
Take a look at the video below for more details on Ford's virtual child crash test dummy.
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