Toyota Motor Corporation has added three new models to Version 4 of its Total Human Model for Safety (THUMS) virtual crash dummy software. Sales of the models, which represent children aged 10, 6, and 3, will begin this autumn.
THUMS is able to forecast the extent of injuries sustained throughout the human body and is utilized in the development of passenger protection devices such as airbags, and to contribute to improved vehicle safety performance.
The 10-year old (138cm tall), 6-year old (118cm tall) and 4-year old (94cm tall) additions represent the average physiques of children at each respective age. As with the large male (189cm tall), average-build adult male (179cm tall), and small female (153cm tall) models that are already being sold, the new models will come in two versions – a passenger version and a pedestrian version – for a total of six new additions to the THUMS line-up. This expanded line-up takes into consideration the influence of age and physique, and allows for a more thorough injury analysis.
The newly launched child-spec models were created through collaborative research between Wayne State University, the University of Michigan, and the Collaborative Safety Research Center in the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, all in Michigan.
June 30, 2016
