Ford Develops Abdomen Prototype For Child Crash Tests

As I have posted earlier, Ford has launched its Child Safety Program. In support to this, the Dearborn automaker is now developing a high-tech insert, similar in size and shape to a 6-year-old's abdomen.

The insert is designed for crash test dummies to help improve vehicle safety for children. The prototype is part of an effort to make pediatric crash dummies and crash tests more real world, leading to better vehicle restraints, according to the automaker’s release.

Partners to the venture include Wayne State University in Detroit, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and the Takata Corp., which manufactures vehicle safety systems.

Crash tests mainly have focused on head and chest injuries, according to Steve Rouhana, a technical leader in Ford's crash dummy testing. "But the lack of an abdomen is not just a matter of priority," he said. "We really didn't have the technology before to accurately measure abdominal response."

The silicone prototype features an LED and optical sensor surrounded by a high-viscosity, red or blue silicone fluid. Sensors measure penetration based on the amount of light absorbed by the silicone fluid.

As we know, it takes a very clever dummy to find new ways to avoid injuries in vehicular accidents. Good thing Ford has taken another step to further child safety.

"The major focus [of crash tests] has always been on head and chest injuries," Ford safety engineer Steve Rouhana said. "We really didn't have the technology before to accurately measure abdominal response." To speed the research, he added, Ford will offer the technology to other automakers early in 2008 through the Society of Automotive Engineers.

But more children who are too large for child-safety seats but too small to be adequately served by adult seat belts have been suffering such injuries in crashes. The silicone shell can measure the penetration of seat belts into a youngster's abdomen. With those test results and data from actual crashes, Ford is looking to improve seat-belt designs for children not restrained in booster seats, which are recommended until age 8, Chicago Tribune reported.

"We do lots of development with virtual tests but, ultimately, we have to have a physical test. We don't want to be surprised when NHTSA does its test," Rouhana said.

The new dummies and virtual people are a far cry from its ancestors. The primitive devices that represented an average-size male (about 5 feet 6 inches, 170 pounds) could measure mainly head and chest injuries. Now, NHTSA uses a family of dummies that includes a 6-month-old, a 6-year-old, a small adult woman (about 5 feet tall, 108 pounds), a pregnant woman and a large man (6 foot 2 inches tall, 225 pounds), the report said. The dummies are designed for specific tests, such as front or side impact or whiplash, and can measure injuries to the neck, ribs, hips and internal organs.

"We need the precision we know we can get from using dummies in tests that can produce consistent results," said NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson.

Auto parts like engine, bumper, radiator and more continue to get tougher. This means that safety features should go hand in hand with the development.