Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[How Ford made vehicles safer with a cadaver's help]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/27/how-ford-made-vehicles-safer-with-a-cadavers-help/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/27/how-ford-made-vehicles-safer-with-a-cadavers-help/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/27/how-ford-made-vehicles-safer-with-a-cadavers-help/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Ford's inflatable seatbelt - Click above for high-res image gallery

While we're all accustomed to seeing crash test vehicles packed with loveable dummies, the truth is that manufacturers can't always rely on high-tech mannequins to get the information they need. Sometimes, they have to resort to other testing procedures to research how new safety tech will impact the human body. And, as Jalopnik points out, those other procedures involve genuine human cadavers.

Now, don't start thinking that your favorite manufacturer has a covert team of grave robbers on the pay roll. According to the Jalop, automakers typically partner with universities that have the facilities for that kind of work. In every case, the family members of the deceased are informed of what kind of research their loved ones' body is being used for, and the cadaver is disposed of respectfully and properly after the trials.

So why use a body when we have all of these fancy computer models at our disposal? Because unfortunately, neither dummies nor our modeling systems have caught up with the complexities of the human body. Most recently, Ford used the deceased to test the impacts of its inflatable seatbelts on internal organs. Head over to Jalopnik to read the full piece.


Gallery: Ford's Inflatable Seat Belts


[Source: Jalopnik]

How Ford made vehicles safer with a cadaver's help originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CadaverCrash TestCrash Test DummiesCrashTestCrashTestDummiesDummiesDummyFordFri, 27 Aug 2010 16:01:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19610701/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/08/27/how-ford-made-vehicles-safer-with-a-cadavers-help/19610701/article-detail.xml 19610701 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/inflatable-seatbelt-630_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/inflatable-seatbelt-630.jpg <![CDATA[GM crash test dummy donated to Smithsonian after 15 years of whiplash]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/15/gm-crash-test-dummy-donated-to-smithsonian-after-15-years-of-whi/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/15/gm-crash-test-dummy-donated-to-smithsonian-after-15-years-of-whi/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/15/gm-crash-test-dummy-donated-to-smithsonian-after-15-years-of-whi/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

GM's H50-1 ATD in action - Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors has made an unusual donation to the Smithsonian: a crash test dummy. Well, not just any crash test dummy. The company handed over its H50-1 anthromorphic testing device, or ATD, to the museum to help catalog the advancement of vehicle safety in this country. After a full 15 years of service, H50-1 was ready for retirement, and rather than spend his days playing shuffleboard, The General decided to allow him to continue educating by going on display at the National Museum for American History.

GM also donated a slew of other "safety artifacts" along with its ATD. According to the Smithsonian, GM's dummy design helped to set the industry standard for crash safety research. While H50-1 was constructed as a stand-in for the typical male, the company says that it has over 200 ATD designs to represent every sort of vehicle occupant under the sun. We'd like to see that family portrait. Hit the jump for the full press release.


Gallery: GM Donates H50-1 Crash Test Dummy to Smithsonian


[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading GM crash test dummy donated to Smithsonian after 15 years of whiplash

GM crash test dummy donated to Smithsonian after 15 years of whiplash originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Anthromorphic testing deviceAnthromorphicTestingDeviceATDcrash testcrash test dummiescrash test dummycrash testingCrashTestCrashTestDummiesCrashTestDummyCrashTestingdummiesdummyGeneral MotorsGeneralMotorsGMSmithsonianThe SmithsonianTheSmithsonianThu, 15 Jul 2010 11:01:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19555294/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/07/15/gm-crash-test-dummy-donated-to-smithsonian-after-15-years-of-whi/19555294/article-detail.xml 19555294 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/01-dummy-630_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/07/01-dummy-630.jpg <![CDATA[New York '08 Preview: Ford featuring crash-tested Taurus]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/18/new-york-08-preview-ford-featuring-crash-tested-taurus/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/18/new-york-08-preview-ford-featuring-crash-tested-taurus/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/18/new-york-08-preview-ford-featuring-crash-tested-taurus/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Click above to view high-res gallery of crash-tested Ford Taurus

Ford has been very quiet about what it will have onstage at the New York Auto Show tomorrow, but one vehicle we do know that will be under the lights is the Ford Taurus. While there will certainly be a number of Taurus models waxed, polished and placed just so in Ford's display at the Jacob Javits Center, one in particular will be a mess. Ford will display a crash-tested Taurus in New York to show off the big car's five-star rating for frontal and side crash tests from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Unlike the mangled Celica that used to sit outside your highschool at prom time, the crash-tested Taurus on display in New York will be interactive. Show goers will be allowed to sit in the post-crash Taurus to see what a crash test dummy sees after a 35-mph meet up with an offset concrete barrier. Looking at the pic above, it is pretty impressive that the passenger compartment remains untouched after such an event. We're looking forward to our seat time with this one, though any trip to the Autoblog Garage might necessitate a tow truck.

Gallery: Ford Taurus Crash Test Car


[Source: Ford]

Continue reading New York '08 Preview: Ford featuring crash-tested Taurus

New York '08 Preview: Ford featuring crash-tested Taurus originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>crash testcrash test dummiescrash testingcrash testsCrashTestCrashTestDummiesCrashTestingCrashTestsford taurusFordTaurusnew yorknew york 2008new york auto showNewYorkNewYork2008NewYorkAutoShownhtsaTue, 18 Mar 2008 10:35:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/1142904/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2008/03/18/new-york-08-preview-ford-featuring-crash-tested-taurus/1142904/article-detail.xml 1142904 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/03/00_tauruscrashtest_opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/03/00_tauruscrashtest_opt.jpg <![CDATA[Automakers, suppliers team to seek virtual crash testing]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/15/automakers-suppliers-team-seeks-virtual-crash-testin/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/15/automakers-suppliers-team-seeks-virtual-crash-testin/http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/15/automakers-suppliers-team-seeks-virtual-crash-testin/#commentsFiled under:



Nine major automakers and two automotive suppliers have formed a group to look into and develop virtual crash tests that they say will be more realistic than violently smashing cars into immovable barriers.

DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Peugeot-Citroen, Renault and Toyota joined suppliers TRW and Takata last year to form the Global Human Body Models Consortium LLC. The group is expected to announce its plans today at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit.

And just what are their plans? They have recruited 40 research and university groups worldwide to develop "virtual humans" that will simulate crash test dummies which, they say, will provide better accident prediction data. The group hopes to have the project wrapped up in 2011. The companies will split the budgeted $18 million cost, but are looking to Uncle Sam and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. for a funding boost.

GM spokesman Alan Adler told the Associated Press that the data acquired from simulated tests would still be confirmed using good old crash testing.

Ford has a leg up on the group, having already developed a virtual adult male it uses to develop interiors and some safety devices. TRW also does some simulated tests on their restraint systems, pictured above.

[Source: The Associated Press via Journal and Courier Online]

Automakers, suppliers team to seek virtual crash testing originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Apr 2007 08:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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