Ford recently began developing the technology to develop a digital crash dummy to gain a better understanding of injuries resulting from collisions and to improve safety research.
The development is a continuation of efforts made by the automaker to create an adult digital body. By studying trends and examining traffic accidents, Dr. Steve Rouhana, the senior technical leader for safety at Ford Research and Advanced Engineering, has been able to dramatically reduce the number of deaths suffered by car passengers. Tragedies still occur, however.
"Our restraint systems are developed to help reduce serious injuries and fatalities in the field, and they have proven to be very effective," Rouhana said. "The more you know about the human body, the more we can consider how to make our restraint systems even better."
Rouhana also said that a child's body is very different from an adult's. By developing a child-specific digital body, Ford will be able to prevent younger passengers from getting injured.
The automaker has built models based on MRIs from children to understand the differences between collision effects on kids and adults.
According to a press release, it took Ford a decade to develop the digital adult body.