20 facts about artificial people who save real human lives.
Issues of car safety, its degree of protection from collision, rating of this or that brand when passing crash-tests - are among the priorities when choosing a particular model.
The fact remains that current cars are much safer than they were fifty years ago. And in the future, driving will become more and more safe.
The use of crash test dummies is an integral part of improving the efficiency of automotive testing and therefore the safety of vehicles as a whole.
How has this been developed and improved? Here are the main facts.
Until the 1950s, human bodies were used in the tests
It was at first. Perhaps, it was not very pleasant, but that was how the scientific and practical foundation was laid for the crash-test technique.
The pigs were also used for this purpose
Some carmakers have used this practice. Usually, the pig was placed in the front seat. She could sit upright, and in many ways, her anatomy was close to that of a human being.
Environmentalists opposed the inhumane use of live animals for crash tests.
In the 1980s alone, 19,000 animals died in such tests, including pigs, rabbits, and dogs. After the intervention of environmental organizations, this was banned.
Crash dummy skeletons made of aluminum and steel
Crash test dummies: how they are made, what they are made of, what they serve for when they first appeared
Modern crash-mannequins are high-tech products that imitate the human body with maximum precision. Their skeletons are made of aluminum and steel to understand how the real skeleton will react in the event of an accident.
Their ribs are made of synthetic plastic
Crash test dummies: how they are made, what they are made of, what they serve for when they first appeared
To find out how collisions affect older people, designers have developed special dummies using soft plastic. The reason: as the chest bones age, they become more brittle.
Dummy skin is made of vinyl
Crash test dummies: how they are made, what they are made of, what they serve for when they first appeared
Developers are trying to make mannequins as similar as possible to real people. It will allow achieving the maximum accuracy during tests. Vinyl, imitating human skin, is stretched on an aluminum-steel skeleton.
They also have realistic joints that react to the collision, as real passengers
Crash test dummies: how they are made, what they are made of, what they serve for when they first appeared
The correct and precise functioning of the joints of the crash-mannequin skeleton is one of the most important aspects. At the time of a disaster, the human body is subjected to extreme stress and tension, so carmakers must have a complete picture.
The first dummy for crash tests was called Sierra Sam
Crash test dummies: how they are made, what they are made of, what they serve for when they first appeared
It was created in 1949 for the needs of the U.S. Air Force.
Originally it was made for testing not the car, but the jet rubber.
Crash test dummies: how they are made, what they are made of, what they serve for when they first appeared
Sierra Sam became the prototype of all future crash mannequins. It was designed to surpass the speed record set by Colonel John Stapp on the jet track: 1017 km/h.
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