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Overview
About Crash-Test Dummies
Crash-test dummies are high-tech, anthropomorphized figures designed to simulate the effects of car collisions on humans.
They were first put to use in the 1950s, appropriated from the aviation industry, and have since had a profound influence on vehicular safety (as well as popular culture). Over time, these test subjects evolved from crude mannequins--true "dummies"--to increasingly sophisticated devices.
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History
"Sierra Sam" was the very first crash-test dummy, developed in 1949 by Samuel W. Alderson through his Alderson Research Labs. The dummy's initial purpose was to test aircraft safety, but it was eventually used in motor vehicle trials.
Alderson later modified the figure to arrive at the VIP 50th Dummy, while the Sierra Engineering Company engineered a model they called "Sierra Stan." General Motors combined the best traits of both when it premiered the Hybrid I in 1971, a dummy built to the proportions of the average human male. Hybrid II followed shortly thereafter (1972), with more sophisticated limbs and joints, and in 1976, the Hybrid III model debuted. This latest version came with its own nuclear family: a wife and three children.
Engineers continue to improve upon these pioneering models, always striving for a more faithful, lifelike model of the human passenger.
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Materials
Crash-test dummies vary in size and structure, but most have beige-colored vinyl skin backed with foam rubber. Inside, beneath a wall of packing material, each dummy houses about three dozen electronic instruments for calculating crash impact. Their ribs are made of steel reinforced by a layer of graphite polymer.
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Odd Facts
Before the development of crash-test dummies, animals were often used as stand-ins for accident victims. The most commonly used animal for cabin collisions was pigs. Their internal structure is closest to that of humans, and scientists found them to be the most faithful at approximating a human's seated position.
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New Developments
Engineers are currently tinkering with virtual dummies called Human Body Models--crash subjects designed and tested entirely on the computer screen. Such virtual modeling synthesizes several cutting-edge technologies, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized tomography (CT) and laser-surface scanning. This new evaluation method will be developed and used by a consortium of the world's major automotive manufacturers.
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Popular Culture
A series of 1980s public-service announcements for the U.S. Department of Transportation introduced Vince and Larry, two talking crash-test dummies who promoted seat-belt safety through slapstick. The campaign's slogan became widely known: "You Can Learn a Lot From a Dummy."
Wholly unrelated to automotive safety, a Canadian folk-rock band called the Crash Test Dummies rose to prominence in the 1990s with their album "God Shuffled His Feet." The album produced a hit single, "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm," which peaked at number 4 on the U.S. Hot 100 chart.
