A New Way To Test Safety
Automotive technology is constantly changing, from autonomous cars, to the rising interest in electric vehicles, there is something new every day. Automotive safety technology and policies are changing just as fast. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will begin testing back seat safety in 2019. Virtual Vehicle, a research-and-development center in Austria is using advanced human-body modeling to test safety. These realistic tests produce more accurate results.
“You see the crash-test dummy leaning out of the window after a crash. That situation has nothing in common with reality,” Dr. Andreas Rieser, who leads a team of mechanical and material engineers at Virtual Vehicle, told Car and Driver.
Virtual Vehicle partners include: BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volkswagen and Daimler. Magna, Continental and Bosch are big suppliers.
The tests focus on how a person acts seconds before the accident, when they realize an impact is unavoidable. How an actual human, not a crash test dummy, tenses up or braces themselves moments before a crash. These small movements lead to changes in technology, which can make a big difference for overall passenger safety.
Over 800 passengers have had their body movements studied by Virtual Vehicle. The brave test subjects wear motion capture suits and are put through three separate braking and land changing tests.
- The person knows what will happen to the car and when it will happen
- The person knows what will happen but not when it will occur
- The person is left completely in the dark about what will happen and when it will happen
9 infrared cameras capture all of the data from these tests. That’s when the real magic happens. Using this footage, Virtual Vehicle can study real life human movement before and during a crash. This helps automakers adjust safety systems, by identifying unintended consequences in real world data. This is a welcome change, as some safety features can seriously harm or kill other passengers, depending on where they are sitting. The tests allow automakers to create a complete safety solution.
This technique is already working, and will just get better with more testing. Mercedes-Benz’s are currently using front-seat bolsters that move passengers inward during a side collision. These front-seat bolsters were developed with the help of human-body modeling. The advanced safety tests also paved the way for inflatable seat belts, knee airbags and pedestrian protecting pop-up hoods.
The NHTSA has also demanded more realistic crash test dummies as part of new 2019 safety standards. The days of crashing cars into walls could be numbered.
