0:00:02 > 0:00:05He looks like us, he acts like us.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09He's a unique feat of engineering.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16An unflinching substitute who would take the knocks to literally
0:00:16 > 0:00:17save our skins.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22We owe him an awful lot.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25He has saved countless lives.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30It should have a little hall of fame of its own.
0:00:34 > 0:00:39And 65 years of being smashed, crashed and impaled has
0:00:39 > 0:00:43elevated our unsung hero from understudy to science icon.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49It's iconic because people recognise themselves.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52It's an incredible success story,
0:00:52 > 0:00:56one that brings home the reality of car crashes
0:00:56 > 0:00:58and saves lives.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00I definitely owe them my life.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07This is the story of the crash test dummy.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Crash test dummies or, to give them their proper name,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25anthropomorphic test devices.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29They are, today, icons for safety - instantly recognisable.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33These blank, emotionless faces, with their curious little stickers,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37have become the gold standard for crash testing.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39But far from being dummies,
0:01:39 > 0:01:44these fellas are incredibly sophisticated measuring instruments,
0:01:44 > 0:01:49a finely and precisely calibrated combination of science, technology,
0:01:49 > 0:01:53engineering and mathematics, capable of recording
0:01:53 > 0:01:57tens of thousands of data points in milliseconds.
0:02:02 > 0:02:08In 2009, the legacy of the crash test dummy was celebrated
0:02:08 > 0:02:12in an extraordinary collision between the past and the present.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Two dummies met head-on in cars
0:02:18 > 0:02:21separated by 50 years of crash test research.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27The classic '59 Bel Air had no safety features.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32Here, the dummy was unrestrained and vulnerable.
0:02:32 > 0:02:38In contrast, the 2009 Malibu bristled with modern safety devices,
0:02:38 > 0:02:42all perfected with the help of the dummy at its wheel.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00No seatbelts, no collapsible steering wheel, no airbags -
0:03:00 > 0:03:05common occurrence in the '50s and '60s before safety standards
0:03:05 > 0:03:07started affecting the design of vehicles.
0:03:12 > 0:03:17The dummy in the Bel Air was crushed as the car collapsed around him.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19You can see that the steering wheel comes straight
0:03:19 > 0:03:21back into the face of the crash test dummy.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26While the dummy in the Malibu was kept safe by its multiple
0:03:26 > 0:03:27modern safety features.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34We've got extra-high-strength steel in an occupant compartment structure,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37we've got crumple zones that are designed to crumple,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41we've got seatbelts and airbags doing a co-ordinated job.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45What the Malibu does is remarkable.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50In less than a blink of an eye, it deploys a life-saving airbag,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52pre-tensions the seat belts
0:03:52 > 0:03:58and crumples just enough to absorb the energy and protect the occupant.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03It's a triumph of design that is, quite literally, a lifesaver.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05A driver in this test would die.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11Whereas that person probably could walk away from the crash.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22The crash test dummy is an incredible success story,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25and his statistics speak for themselves.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30In 1960, nearly 7,000 people died on UK roads.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36But despite a tenfold increase in car numbers, by 2012,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39road deaths were down to 1,900.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44That's just four deaths for every billion miles travelled.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51So I want to discover just how the dummy has helped
0:04:51 > 0:04:53turn our cars from deadly...
0:04:57 > 0:04:59..to safe...
0:05:00 > 0:05:03..and understand just how his evolution has driven
0:05:03 > 0:05:05the development of car safety systems.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10But our story begins not with car safety
0:05:10 > 0:05:13but in the post-war boom of the aerospace industry...
0:05:14 > 0:05:17..where the very first crash test dummy
0:05:17 > 0:05:20was not made of rubber and steel but flesh and bone.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27As men looked to fly faster and higher, they were exposed to greater
0:05:27 > 0:05:31and greater G-forces, both in flight and in the event of a crash.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36The problem was no-one knew what the human body could withstand.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Enter Colonel John Stapp, a US Air Force doctor
0:05:43 > 0:05:45and human crash test dummy.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52According to most sources, anything above 18G,
0:05:52 > 0:05:57or 18 times the force of gravity, would prove fatal.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00But Stapp questioned this conventional wisdom.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04And to prove his point, he went and strapped himself to a rocket.
0:06:13 > 0:06:14Over the next eight years,
0:06:14 > 0:06:19he exposed himself to a series of increasingly extreme tests
0:06:19 > 0:06:23until, on December 10 1954, Stapp became
0:06:23 > 0:06:25not only the fastest man on earth,
0:06:25 > 0:06:28but also, the fastest-stopping, too...
0:06:29 > 0:06:33..as after accelerating to 632 miles an hour,
0:06:33 > 0:06:37his rocket sled hit the world's most sophisticated water brake.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42It came to a complete stop in 1.1 seconds.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48Stapp experienced 46.2G,
0:06:48 > 0:06:53the equivalent of a car hitting a wall at 120 miles an hour...
0:06:54 > 0:06:57..bursting nearly every capillary in his eyeballs.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01He was left temporarily blind, heavily bruised but alive.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Colonel Stapp gave us an important starting point,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08and from then on, people can look at
0:07:08 > 0:07:11our biomechanical response to impacts
0:07:11 > 0:07:12and exactly what we can tolerate.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20Colonel Stapp was instrumental in making fast jets safer.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22In fact, they got so safe,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25he noticed that the US Air Force were, ironically enough,
0:07:25 > 0:07:29losing more men to car crashes than they were to planes.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33He then quickly realised his sled work could be adapted for use
0:07:33 > 0:07:36in the growing debate over seatbelts in the car industry.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43The problem was Stapp had finally reached his personal limit
0:07:43 > 0:07:46and other human volunteers were few and far between.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54So, with crude dummies already in military use, in 1956,
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Stapp conscripted one of these into the domestic car industry.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06He was called Sierra Sam.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12Born in 1949, he was named after the Sierra Engineering company
0:08:12 > 0:08:14who built him.
0:08:14 > 0:08:19Weighing in at 200lbs, he stood upright at 5 foot 10 inches.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Built of steel and rubber,
0:08:23 > 0:08:28he was originally modelled on real US Air Force pilots.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32They were simply a dummy with movable joints, movable limbs.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35They were the right height and the right weight
0:08:35 > 0:08:38so they may be dropped out of an aeroplane with a parachute,
0:08:38 > 0:08:40and the goal of the test was to see if the parachute opened
0:08:40 > 0:08:43and maybe see if there were any broken parts on the dummy.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46While Sierra Sam had made pilots' lives safer,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49his use in the car industry was limited.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Although the sight of him ejecting from a car crashing
0:08:54 > 0:08:56provided shocking visual data.
0:08:59 > 0:09:04His crudely jointed limbs meant he didn't sit in the car like we do.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07And his inaccurate weight distribution meant
0:09:07 > 0:09:12when the car crashed, he didn't act like a human occupant.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15This lack of human-like responses
0:09:15 > 0:09:18meant his so-called biofidelity was low.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Crash dummies need to be designed
0:09:20 > 0:09:24so they behave the way a human would behave.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27As an example, the ribs of a crash dummy are designed
0:09:27 > 0:09:32so they compress the same amount as a human ribcage would compress.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35The difference is, the dummy's ribs were designed not to break -
0:09:35 > 0:09:38instead we measure injury risk in that crash test.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40Although he didn't make the grade,
0:09:40 > 0:09:44Sierra Sam is considered the grandfather of all modern dummies,
0:09:44 > 0:09:48providing the inspiration upon which later dummies were built,
0:09:48 > 0:09:53as they set out on a quest for greater, more improved biofidelity.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58As our amount of biomechanical data improves,
0:09:58 > 0:10:02our knowledge of what happens in real world accidents improves.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05These actually get reflected back into the dummies.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Injuries occur in a crash
0:10:11 > 0:10:15when the occupant is brought to a very sudden, very painful stop.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20The accelerations you experience is very high.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25Which means the forces going through your bones, your muscles, your body
0:10:25 > 0:10:28are very, very high, and they start to tear those things apart.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34It was dummies like Sierra Sam that enabled engineers to perfect
0:10:34 > 0:10:38a method for reducing these forces.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42By making the car sacrifice itself, the crash time is lengthened,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46allowing the occupants to come to a slower, less painful stop.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53First introduced in the '50s, it's known as the survival cell.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56The front and rear of the car is allowed to crumple,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00while the occupant compartment is reinforced.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04The more the vehicle crushes, the longer it takes to slow down.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06The longer it takes to slow down,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09the longer you get to slow down, thereby reducing the forces.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12It's a very effective innovation.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Although, get it wrong, and the results can be fatal.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21This design got it backwards.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25The front end here is stiffer than the parts behind it,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28so what crushed, instead of the front,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31was the back, which is where the dummy...
0:11:31 > 0:11:33where you would be sitting.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Today, the survival cell is the cornerstone of car safety design...
0:11:41 > 0:11:45..extending beyond the road car into the high-octane world of motorsport.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Here, specially-modified crash test dummies have helped perfect
0:11:51 > 0:11:55the race car monocoque, which has allowed drivers to survive
0:11:55 > 0:11:57some of the highest-speed crashes imaginable.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05In 1996, IndyCar and F1 driver Mark Blundell
0:12:05 > 0:12:08tested the concept to the limit.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13Coming down the back straight, I think we were touching 202mph.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15ENGINES REV
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Hit the brake pedal...
0:12:19 > 0:12:23and one of a racing driver's worst fears is no brakes.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31I basically took the decision that what I needed to do was to hit
0:12:31 > 0:12:34the car in front of me before I hit the concrete wall.
0:12:34 > 0:12:35Because I knew at that speed,
0:12:35 > 0:12:39hitting concrete, the chances of me surviving were slim.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46I wanted to hit him to take away the impact
0:12:46 > 0:12:48and anticipate some of the energy.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51And probably luckily for him, I did miss him.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54'And, oh! Against the wall!
0:12:54 > 0:12:56'That looks like Mark Blundell.'
0:12:56 > 0:12:59I hit at 198 miles an hour...
0:13:01 > 0:13:04About a 122G impact.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08HE SIGHS
0:13:08 > 0:13:11The car does everything it's designed to do,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13the engine breaks away from the monocoque,
0:13:13 > 0:13:15the front of the monocoque was damaged,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17but that's what broke my impact.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20'That disintegration is good. That's energy leaving the car.'
0:13:20 > 0:13:24My seatbelts were five inches longer than what they were manufactured.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28So that tells you that my body went forward in such a way,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30they stretched five inches.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34The monocoque of that race car was two inches narrower
0:13:34 > 0:13:36than what it was manufactured.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Mark Blundell climbed out of the car under his own power,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42but seemed to collapse by the edge of the track.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46Four fractures in my right foot, my knees were like basketballs.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48My internal organs had moved
0:13:48 > 0:13:51so the cartilage muscle was stripped off the sternum.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53And my lungs and ribs had collided.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56I'd hit my head against the steering wheel
0:13:56 > 0:13:58and also against the side of the wall.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01And I had a haematoma, so I had a blood clot on the brain.
0:14:13 > 0:14:14Lucky boy...really.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21Mark's car exceeded its design criteria,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24safely cocooning him in a survival cell.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26But, as his injuries demonstrate,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29just preventing the driver from being crushed
0:14:29 > 0:14:31isn't the end of the problem...
0:14:34 > 0:14:36..as, even after a car has stopped moving,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40the occupants are still travelling at the same speed.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49Here, they're about to have not one, but two further crashes.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Firstly, they hit anything inside the car,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55such as the steering wheel or windshield.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05Then, the final crash takes place inside the body.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08We, as doctors, work on this principle
0:15:08 > 0:15:11of three crashes in the one accident.
0:15:17 > 0:15:22Inside the body, the organs are still moving, so the third and final crash
0:15:22 > 0:15:26is when those internal organs impact on the inside of the chest.
0:15:31 > 0:15:32In the case of the head,
0:15:32 > 0:15:37it might be the brain tissue itself coming into contact with the skull.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43This internal collision can cause as serious injuries
0:15:43 > 0:15:45as any direct impact.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Collapsed lungs, ruptured arteries and brain haemorrhages
0:15:49 > 0:15:52are among the most common suffered in car crashes.
0:15:58 > 0:16:04By the 1960s, road deaths were continuing to rise.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09Cars still had hard, metal interiors and very few had any restraints.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16The next challenge for engineers was to find an efficient way
0:16:16 > 0:16:19to keep the occupants safe inside the car.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25What the restraint system has to do is actually to absorb
0:16:25 > 0:16:29the kinetic energy of the person inside the car,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33keeping his accelerations level down as low as possible.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40In the US, celebrated political activist Ralph Nader
0:16:40 > 0:16:43published his damning book about the American car industry.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Unsafe At Any Speed had revealed
0:16:46 > 0:16:49many US cars were dangerous to operate.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53Action was needed.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Crude dummies like Sierra Sam had already proved
0:16:58 > 0:17:01that lap belts usually did more harm than good.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04But to develop a safe, three-point system,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06a more human-like dummy was called for.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10The geometry of a seatbelt system is important.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12The routing of the belts are important.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15The lap belt has to ride low so you interact with your pelvic bone,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19so your pelvic bone helps to slow you down in a crash.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25In a similar fashion, the shoulder belt really should interact
0:17:25 > 0:17:27with your sternum and not your neck, or not your abdomen.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42So as the cool cats of the '60s turned on, tuned in and dropped out,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45the first true automotive dummy
0:17:45 > 0:17:49got wired in, smartened up and sat down.
0:17:52 > 0:17:58The VIP, or Very Important Person dummy proved to be a revolution.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02At 170lbs, he was Mr Average.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09His improved weight distribution, articulated joints
0:18:09 > 0:18:12and a realistic pelvic structure meant, for the first time,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15he sat in a lifelike driving position.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22Added instrumentation now gave engineers valuable data
0:18:22 > 0:18:25so they could develop the three-point seatbelt.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30He was a success, and soon became part of the establishment
0:18:30 > 0:18:35as the first dummy written into US car safety legislation.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39But while the VIP had very good biofidelity,
0:18:39 > 0:18:45he lacked two important qualities - repeatability and reproducibility.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47Repeatable means the same dummy behaves the same way
0:18:47 > 0:18:48from one day to the next.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Reproducible means a similar dummy of the same design
0:18:51 > 0:18:53has got to behave the same way.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Car safety was now a high-stakes enterprise.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03All the manufacturers needed a dummy who could be relied on
0:19:03 > 0:19:05to perform consistently.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09As you design a motor vehicle, you need to run multiple crash tests.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14So you may run a crash test
0:19:14 > 0:19:16and record his injury measurements,
0:19:16 > 0:19:17make some changes.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24And then run another crash test.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30The crash dummy has to be repeatable.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33We can't have variations in the crash dummy.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39That would mask any improvements, or changes, in the restraint system.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Today, modern dummies endure five to ten crashes
0:19:44 > 0:19:48before they need a complete overhaul and recalibration.
0:19:51 > 0:19:57And they may experience over 1,000 crashes in a lifetime.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05Unfortunately the '60s VIP was a free spirit.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09His lack of repeatability meant manufacturers now challenged
0:20:09 > 0:20:11crash test results in the courts.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15And before long it was RIP to the VIP.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23The controversy over the VIP dummy had shown manufacturers
0:20:23 > 0:20:25that they needed to come together
0:20:25 > 0:20:28to produce a new global standard in dummy design.
0:20:28 > 0:20:33Calibration and repeatability were key to these aims.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44We had to go and get all these different designs assessed,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46put together into that one dummy
0:20:46 > 0:20:48and that is why it's called the Hybrid dummy.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56In 1971, along with glam rockers and punk shockers,
0:20:56 > 0:21:00came a new dynasty of rubber crash-stoppers.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07General Motors had forged a successful marriage
0:21:07 > 0:21:10between the Sierra and VIP dummies.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21The result was the father of the modern dummy, the Hybrid I.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26His improved joint articulation and weight distribution
0:21:26 > 0:21:31meant he was more humanlike than any previous dummy.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35This is the Hybrid frontal impact crash dummy.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39He is a little bit more sophisticated than the Sierra dummy.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43You start to see a little bit better shape of his body.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46This dummy did have some instrumentation in the head
0:21:46 > 0:21:50and chest cavity, but it needed to be revised some more.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55So by 1973, the Hybrid II was the new kid on the block.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01Now with improved crash responses in his shoulder, spine and knee,
0:22:01 > 0:22:06he sat at the forefront of safety development for the next five years.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11Until, in 1977, 30 years of dummy evolution
0:22:11 > 0:22:14produced the current industry standard.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17FANFARE OF TRUMPETS
0:22:17 > 0:22:18And here he is.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22The Hybrid III anthropomorphic test device.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29What makes him king is his greatly improved spine
0:22:29 > 0:22:30and neck articulation.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35He now closely mimics the human body during a crash.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Fully loaded with instrumentation in his head, rib cage and femur,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45he records unprecedented data.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52But the Hybrid III has stamina as well as brains.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56He comes complete with an array of calibration tests.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00These ensure he provides reliable data, crash...
0:23:02 > 0:23:04..after crash,
0:23:04 > 0:23:05after crash.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13I want to discover what makes the Hybrid III
0:23:13 > 0:23:17the frontal crash test dummy of choice over 30 years on.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20To find out, I've come here to MIRA,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22the renowned automotive research centre,
0:23:22 > 0:23:25where I should be able to really get under the skin
0:23:25 > 0:23:28of a crash test dummy.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Three, two, one,
0:23:30 > 0:23:31and release.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Welcome to our dummy certification lab.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Let me please introduce you to one of our Hybrid III crash test dummies.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57Dr Tony Payne is MIRA's dummy guru.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00The important thing is we are looking at those parts of the body
0:24:00 > 0:24:03which are likely to cause life-threatening injuries.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05'First, off with his head!
0:24:05 > 0:24:09'Which is fitting, as the head and neck of the most vulnerable parts
0:24:09 > 0:24:10'of the body.'
0:24:10 > 0:24:12There we are. There's the pin.
0:24:12 > 0:24:17Now we can actually take the head off the top of the neck.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19There you are.
0:24:19 > 0:24:224.5 kilograms of dummy head.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24You wouldn't have thought it, would you?
0:24:24 > 0:24:28There's a lot of mass there which, there, you then see instantly
0:24:28 > 0:24:30why the neck's so vulnerable.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34'This six-axis load cell records the forces exerted
0:24:34 > 0:24:36'at the very top of the neck.'
0:24:38 > 0:24:40In a typical 30mph crash,
0:24:40 > 0:24:45the head can experience an acceleration of up to 35G.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49And are the loads measured at this specific point
0:24:49 > 0:24:53- because that is the most vulnerable part of the skeleton?- That's right.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56If you actually dislocate the spine there,
0:24:56 > 0:25:00or fracture the vertebrae, there's a limited chance of survivability.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05- Obviously, within your head you've got an extremely precious item.- Yes.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09Your brain. I guess, in here, we find the brain cavity.
0:25:09 > 0:25:10Exactly.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16'Instead of a brain, the dummy is equipped with accelerometers
0:25:16 > 0:25:19'which record what happens to the brain during a crash.'
0:25:19 > 0:25:22When you put the grey matter under high accelerations,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25you actually rupture the blood vessels on the surface of the brain,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29or the neurons within it. The other severe problem you've got is
0:25:29 > 0:25:33where the brain itself separates from the inside of the skull.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37That causes a severe amount of haemorrhaging into the brain cavity
0:25:37 > 0:25:39and can lead to a fatality.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41When I first come in and I look at the dummies, I think,
0:25:41 > 0:25:43"Oh, great, it's a crash test dummy."
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Then when you put into context what their job is,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49it all becomes a bit more stark.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53If we drop that down there through the pins... There we go.
0:25:53 > 0:25:54There's the arms.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57The arm is actually uninstrumented
0:25:57 > 0:26:01because injuries to the arm
0:26:01 > 0:26:03are not life-threatening. There we are.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05That's the jacket.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08'The chest is another highly vulnerable area,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11'so the dummies have this realistic ribcage.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14'It's designed to measure impacts and crushing forces
0:26:14 > 0:26:18'that could crack or break the ribs.'
0:26:18 > 0:26:22The human body can withstand one cracked rib without serious injury.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24It's when you have multiple cracked ribs,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28in fact, we have a problem then with the integrity
0:26:28 > 0:26:31of the chest cavity itself and difficulty in breathing.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34OK. It's...
0:26:34 > 0:26:36It's all very real when put in those terms.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38You realise that these dummies...
0:26:39 > 0:26:42They do a very important job that no person could do.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Just get its stomach out.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Oh, so there we go, I've got its stomach out.
0:26:49 > 0:26:50Oh, there we go.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53'Our dummy dissection is almost complete.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56'And the final life-threatening zone is the upper leg.'
0:26:56 > 0:26:59I was under the impression that your thigh bone, your femur,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01was the biggest, strongest bone in your body.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Why is that, then, such a vulnerable area?
0:27:04 > 0:27:07What happens in an accident is the whole body actually moves forward
0:27:07 > 0:27:09and the knee makes contact
0:27:09 > 0:27:11with the lower part of the instrumentation panels.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14This femur will not just actually go and break,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16you could actually shatter them.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19That shattering may actually rupture your femoral artery,
0:27:19 > 0:27:20causing considerable haemorrhaging.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25The way you put it sounds very technical and medical,
0:27:25 > 0:27:30but the bottom line is that there is the potential there to shatter
0:27:30 > 0:27:32your thigh bone and then bleed to death.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34Yes, it's a life-threatening injury.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36There we are.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Now, the most striking thing about taking apart a crash test dummy
0:27:42 > 0:27:46is realising how vital all the components are,
0:27:46 > 0:27:48and the job they do,
0:27:48 > 0:27:52but also the vulnerability of certain parts of the body
0:27:52 > 0:27:54and, as Tony has described,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57the mechanism of potentially fatal injury.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00You realise that there is simply no substitute
0:28:00 > 0:28:04for a well-made anthropomorphic test device.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10The Hybrid III's modular robust design
0:28:10 > 0:28:12is the key to his success.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18Soon he was the global standard, helping manufacturers
0:28:18 > 0:28:20perfect their restraint systems.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24But, with the travelling public coming in all shapes and sizes,
0:28:24 > 0:28:28it became obvious one size didn't fit all.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32The critical point is that people sit differently in cars.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36The larger person will tend to sit further back in the seat
0:28:36 > 0:28:39and the smaller person will tend to sit further forward in the seat,
0:28:39 > 0:28:42and we have to reflect this in the crash test as well.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48So in the late '80s the Hybrid III started a family.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53First he got a bigger brother.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Then a diminutive wife, Ms Hybrid,
0:28:56 > 0:29:01who, at 108lb, weighed more than just 5% of the population.
0:29:05 > 0:29:10Then came the kids, ages ten, six, three and a newborn.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13While they didn't yet accurately reflect the weight distribution
0:29:13 > 0:29:18of real children, for the first time risks to the whole family
0:29:18 > 0:29:21could be graphically demonstrated.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28Accidents you dread most... Children, obviously.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32Children being involved in road traffic accidents
0:29:32 > 0:29:36are, without doubt, the worst type of road traffic accident.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44Just by virtue of the emotion and the futility of it all.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49The tragic nature of accidents involving children
0:29:49 > 0:29:52is the primary driver in the development of both
0:29:52 > 0:29:57child restraint systems and more sophisticated child dummies.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01It's a problem all car manufacturers take seriously.
0:30:05 > 0:30:09It was the Swedish giants, Volvo, who were the first in the world
0:30:09 > 0:30:13to trial a rear-facing child seat in 1964.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21Here at their Gothenburg HQ,
0:30:21 > 0:30:24'I've come to meet up with the very latest generation of child dummies.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29'Lotta Jakobssen is their child safety specialist.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32'She's going to show me how these new "Q" dummies
0:30:32 > 0:30:37'have helped tackle the dangers of transporting very young children.'
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Smaller children, their heads
0:30:39 > 0:30:42are relatively less well supported for their mass.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45Yes, absolutely, the head is proportionally heavy
0:30:45 > 0:30:48and the neck is really not developed yet.
0:30:48 > 0:30:49It's not strong.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53The muscles are really... not really developed
0:30:53 > 0:30:56and it means that, in case of the head going forward
0:30:56 > 0:31:00and the body stays in position, shearing is more likely to occur.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07As a consequence, even a relatively low-speed crash can cause
0:31:07 > 0:31:10serious injuries to a forward-facing child.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15Repeated dummy tests have shown that children under four
0:31:15 > 0:31:19are five times safer if they travel in rear-facing car seats.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24This is the only way we can fix it
0:31:24 > 0:31:28because simply the head is too heavy and the neck is too weak.
0:31:28 > 0:31:29I take it this is for...
0:31:29 > 0:31:32'Even once the kids grow up, the older child dummies
0:31:32 > 0:31:35'play a vital role in making sure the forward seat
0:31:35 > 0:31:36'properly restrains the child.'
0:31:36 > 0:31:38Oh, sorry.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Oh, well, he doesn't feel much pain.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48The routing of the seatbelt is critical.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52For the larger dummies, you need to measure some particular things.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55Head injuries, chest injuries...
0:31:55 > 0:31:58If you're not in a booster seat, having the lap belt
0:31:58 > 0:32:02over your thighs, you are very likely to sustain
0:32:02 > 0:32:07an internal organ injury in the lower abdominal region.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09I think it's interesting how the evolution of dummies
0:32:09 > 0:32:12and the evolution of car safety technology go hand-in-hand.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15- You need one to validate the next. - Absolutely.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17I mean, really the dummies are our substitutes
0:32:17 > 0:32:20because we can get a lot of information from real world crashes,
0:32:20 > 0:32:22where humans are involved,
0:32:22 > 0:32:24but you can never do development based on that
0:32:24 > 0:32:28if you don't have any tool to check it in the laboratory environment.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31That's why they have a very important purpose.
0:32:36 > 0:32:41It's a cruel irony that child dummy development has progressed this far
0:32:41 > 0:32:43because of real world incidents.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47Yet, encouragingly, these little guys are making a real
0:32:47 > 0:32:52difference in making the whole family's travelling life safer.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55But, no crash test family would be complete
0:32:55 > 0:32:59without a dummy's best friend, the crash test dog.
0:32:59 > 0:33:04And while he may look cute, he serves as a sober reminder
0:33:04 > 0:33:09that unrestrained, even a small dog can become a deadly missile.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21Today crash labs all over the world rely
0:33:21 > 0:33:24on their families of Hybrid III dummies
0:33:24 > 0:33:27to provide accurate, verifiable data.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34This is the Insurance Institute Of Highway Safety
0:33:34 > 0:33:36in Ruckersville, Virginia.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40Inside this 22,000 square foot testing facility,
0:33:40 > 0:33:45they've been deliberately crashing cars since 1959.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47We do a number of different kinds of tests.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50We do frontal crash tests, where the front of the vehicle gets damaged.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55We do side tests, where we crash something
0:33:55 > 0:33:56into the side of a vehicle.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01We do tests that simulate what happens when your car
0:34:01 > 0:34:03is struck from the rear.
0:34:07 > 0:34:10The Institute's engineers are preparing for a new
0:34:10 > 0:34:13and difficult test called the frontal small overlap.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18Just 20% of the driver's side of the car will impact
0:34:18 > 0:34:22the concrete barrier at 40 miles an hour.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27It's a frontal crash that almost didn't happen
0:34:27 > 0:34:31because one or the other driver will try to take an evasive manoeuvre.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35But if that evasive manoeuvre is too late, or not enough,
0:34:35 > 0:34:36the crash happens anyway.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41When the crash happens anyway, you end up with all of the force
0:34:41 > 0:34:45going into a small part of the front structure of the vehicle,
0:34:45 > 0:34:50and if that isn't designed to deal with that force...
0:34:50 > 0:34:53then you start seeing the effects of that force
0:34:53 > 0:34:55back in the area where people are sitting.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15Taking knocks today is this Hybrid III frontal crash dummy.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18The question is, will he survive?
0:35:20 > 0:35:22The dummy is the reason we do this.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25We don't care so much what a vehicle does,
0:35:25 > 0:35:29as long as the person in the vehicle survives the crash.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39Engineering technician Tyler Ayres
0:35:39 > 0:35:42make sure our dummy is seated in exactly the right position.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47See, the non-sticky side is to the wheel.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50We just tape the fingers to each other so he won't let go.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54But the steering wheel can still move freely going down the runway.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56A crash test is a scientific experiment,
0:35:56 > 0:35:59and one of the things that we want to be able to do
0:35:59 > 0:36:02is have the experiment done in this laboratory,
0:36:02 > 0:36:04be repeatable at other laboratories.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07Centre...
0:36:07 > 0:36:09One and two.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11Centre.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13I'm looking about point two. Yeah, point two.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15There you go.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18If we did the crashes willy-nilly,
0:36:18 > 0:36:22then the results that we see would be a result of variation
0:36:22 > 0:36:28in the tests themselves, as opposed to variations in the vehicle designs.
0:36:28 > 0:36:29264.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31264.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33372.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35372.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38Our dummy will transmit over 30 channels of data
0:36:38 > 0:36:41to computers secured in the car...
0:36:42 > 0:36:47..creating over 30,000 data points from his key life-threatening zones.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50We will receive accelerations in his head,
0:36:50 > 0:36:53bending forces of his neck fore and aft, left and right.
0:36:53 > 0:36:58Chest compression, forces into his hip...
0:36:58 > 0:37:00leg loads, upper, lower knee.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04A tenth of a second, we get all of that.
0:37:04 > 0:37:09A tenth of a second is ten days of work.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11Our dummy's survival
0:37:11 > 0:37:15is partly dependent on how well the car's airbags perform.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21Today, airbags are fitted as standard to all cars,
0:37:21 > 0:37:25acting as a supplemental restraint system to the seat belt.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30First fitted to US cars in the early '70s,
0:37:30 > 0:37:34they began appearing in the UK from 1980.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38They pull off an incredible feat...
0:37:39 > 0:37:43..inflating and then beginning to deflate before the occupant hits it.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49In a crash, this all takes place in less than two tenths of a second.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56This car has multiple airbags in the steering wheel,
0:37:56 > 0:37:58door and even the foot well.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04This low-tech solution will reveal
0:38:04 > 0:38:08how well they protect our dummy during the crash.
0:38:08 > 0:38:09This gives us a good idea,
0:38:09 > 0:38:12if they don't capture it on camera where the head makes contact,
0:38:12 > 0:38:16because it tends to go in-between the frontal airbag and the side curtain.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21Anything it hits. We can see if the head hits the back of the hand,
0:38:21 > 0:38:22if the hand hits something.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25Just transfers really well and shows us all contact points.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31OK, Bob.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37Everything is now set.
0:38:38 > 0:38:4119 high-speed cameras will capture the crash
0:38:41 > 0:38:45at 500 frames per second.
0:38:45 > 0:38:50Ten days of planning and preparation will be over in a split second.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55Only then will the engineers know if our dummy has survived.
0:38:55 > 0:38:56Set message received.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00Set received. I'm making sure that my connectivity stays up.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03It's the only thing I'll look at now. The dummy's set.
0:39:03 > 0:39:04Nothing I can do about him.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12Three, two, one, zero.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38As the team move in to clear the debris,
0:39:38 > 0:39:42Sean is able to make his initial crash investigation.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45He first needs to establish how much contact
0:39:45 > 0:39:48the dummy has made with the inside of the car.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54Right now it's somewhat evident... the head, initially,
0:39:54 > 0:39:57engaged the frontal airbag and then slid off
0:39:57 > 0:40:00towards the dashboard, off to the left side.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04It doesn't look like there is any head contact.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07That's the main driver of surviving a crash, is your head.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22The impact has deformed the driver's door, trapping the dummy inside.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30It's also bent the steering column,
0:40:30 > 0:40:34shifting the steering wheel airbag out of position...
0:40:36 > 0:40:39..a common problem with this type of crash.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42He contacts the bag and then he slides off the bag
0:40:42 > 0:40:45because the steering wheel goes right, you go left,
0:40:45 > 0:40:47it doesn't, it's not a good marriage.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51Luckily there's no sign of any serious head impact.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54It looks like right now his head didn't contact
0:40:54 > 0:40:56any hard part of the interior.
0:40:56 > 0:41:01He did contact his hand, which then contacted the dashboard
0:41:01 > 0:41:04so it was kind of a double-hand dashboard hit.
0:41:04 > 0:41:09The injury risk is pretty low for the head on this test right now.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12Although our dummy has not escaped without damage.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15I'm just checking to see if the foot was trapped.
0:41:15 > 0:41:16It's not, it's loose in here.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22As the front wheel hit the barrier,
0:41:22 > 0:41:27it collapsed into the driver's foot well, crushing his leg.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31You can see the dashboard here pushed into his leg and it's pretty tight.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39Our dummy's internal data shows the leg injuries would be severe
0:41:39 > 0:41:41but not life-threatening.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46We would have a very sore, if not broken, left leg
0:41:46 > 0:41:48and a possible headache.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52Other than that, you're alive.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56It's been a good day's work for our dummy,
0:41:56 > 0:41:59proving that despite this car having good crashworthiness,
0:41:59 > 0:42:03this new test is particularly challenging.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07The leg-crushing injuries were so severe that it was eventually
0:42:07 > 0:42:11awarded the institute's lowest rating of poor.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14Proof that even for the safest cars today,
0:42:14 > 0:42:16there is still room for improvement.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25But not all crashes are frontal.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35Some of the most life-threatening are side impacts.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42Here, occupants of the car that is struck
0:42:42 > 0:42:44often receive fatal head injuries.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49This test graphically shows the problem.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55Right here in the hood of the Ford Explorer is a dent
0:42:55 > 0:42:57made by the crash test dummy's head.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02The crush zone in the side of the car is about that wide,
0:43:02 > 0:43:06versus a metre or more at the front of the car.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08So it's a trickier job to provide the same
0:43:08 > 0:43:11level of protection in the side as it is the front,
0:43:11 > 0:43:14simply because the safety engineer has less to work with.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19The problem of side impacts was deemed serious enough
0:43:19 > 0:43:22to require its own dummy.
0:43:24 > 0:43:29SID, or the Side Impact Dummy, is a close cousin of the Hybrid II.
0:43:29 > 0:43:34He was first conceived in the early '80s.
0:43:34 > 0:43:39Since then continuous refinement has developed dummies that accurately
0:43:39 > 0:43:42measure the lateral forces exerted on the ribs and pelvis.
0:43:44 > 0:43:45The injuries we see in side impact
0:43:45 > 0:43:49are subtly different to the injuries we get in frontal impact,
0:43:49 > 0:43:52and therefore we need to have a specific dummy
0:43:52 > 0:43:55to actually go and replicate those injuries.
0:43:58 > 0:44:02SID helped develop the inflatable side airbag.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05It's an ingenious solution that evenly distributes
0:44:05 > 0:44:09and dissipates the violent forces involved in a side impact.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13They have had a dramatic effect on reducing injuries.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16Simply fitting those inflatable curtains
0:44:16 > 0:44:19and airbags to protect the head reduces the likelihood that
0:44:19 > 0:44:23people die in fatal crashes by about 40%.
0:44:26 > 0:44:31Anna Drysdale and Colleen Tebble owe their lives to the SID dummy.
0:44:33 > 0:44:35I actually remember thinking, "This is it.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38"This... This is just how it's going to end."
0:44:39 > 0:44:45In June 2009, Anna lost control of her car at 60mph.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48I can just remember the sensation of, like, the spin
0:44:48 > 0:44:53and just being flung around... and the noise, it was really loud.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56It left the road and had a violent side impact with a tree.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01The impact and the stop is almost non-describable
0:45:01 > 0:45:04because it's so sudden and is so shocking.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08This huge, violent crash and then all of a sudden it's deathly silent.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12Colleen escaped relatively unscathed,
0:45:12 > 0:45:14but Anna had a broken femur.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18It was just one of her multiple injuries.
0:45:18 > 0:45:22Severe lacerations to my right arm, lacerations to my head,
0:45:22 > 0:45:24I'd broken my thighbone...
0:45:27 > 0:45:31I was in hospital for six days and I was in a wheelchair for 12 weeks.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39Nevertheless, she simply wouldn't have survived
0:45:39 > 0:45:43were it not for the side airbag that the SID dummy helped to perfect.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50I actually went to see the car when I was still on crutches.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54The person who brought the car over said,
0:45:54 > 0:45:57"I gather you were in this crash," and I said "Yes, I was the driver."
0:45:57 > 0:46:04And he went very pale, and that really, really shocked me, and it was
0:46:04 > 0:46:08like, "Wow, if you didn't think I'd be able to get out of this, then...
0:46:08 > 0:46:10"I'm very lucky to be here."
0:46:13 > 0:46:15I owe my life to the crash test dummies and airbags
0:46:15 > 0:46:18and car safety, and that's without a doubt,
0:46:18 > 0:46:22because I could have very easily have been taken anyway in a body bag.
0:46:35 > 0:46:39Most of today's dummies are designed to collect data on
0:46:39 > 0:46:42life-or-death injuries, but of course there are many less serious
0:46:42 > 0:46:45injuries that can blight an accident victim's life.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48Here at the Motor Industry Research Centre in Thatcham,
0:46:48 > 0:46:52they have a specifically designed dummy to test for potential injury
0:46:52 > 0:46:55that, at the very least, could be a pain in the neck.
0:47:07 > 0:47:11Whiplash is an injury to the neck which is caused
0:47:11 > 0:47:15when a patient decelerates quickly.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20The body is restrained, the head continues moving
0:47:20 > 0:47:22and the neck flexes.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27The worse that flexion is,
0:47:27 > 0:47:29the worse the whiplash is.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35In the extreme version of that, the patient may actually break
0:47:35 > 0:47:36the bones in the neck.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40Whiplash can occur in any accident,
0:47:40 > 0:47:44but is most common in a low-speed rear-impact collision.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47This is the biofidelic rear impact dummy,
0:47:47 > 0:47:49or BIOrid to his friends.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53He has this incredibly realistic neck and spinal structure
0:47:53 > 0:47:56that is the closest yet to mimicking our own.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01- Hi there, Ian, Rhys. - Hi, Jem, how's it going?
0:48:01 > 0:48:05'Today we will be testing an extreme scenario -
0:48:05 > 0:48:08'a 30mph rear impact with a standard seat
0:48:08 > 0:48:11'with limited whiplash protection.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13'Ian Dudman is the lead engineer.'
0:48:13 > 0:48:16Yeah, this particular test
0:48:16 > 0:48:18that we are going to do today is 7.5G.
0:48:18 > 0:48:207.5G?
0:48:20 > 0:48:23So if there's a fairly hefty 80kg person in there,
0:48:23 > 0:48:26that's nearly 600 kilos during a crash
0:48:26 > 0:48:28that's shunting back in the seat.
0:48:28 > 0:48:32Yeah, and this seat's got to be able to absorb that energy
0:48:32 > 0:48:33and control it as well.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39If your car suddenly gets shunted forwards, unless something
0:48:39 > 0:48:42is bringing your head with it, your head effectively gets left behind.
0:48:42 > 0:48:45Your body gets pushed forward by the seat, by the back of the seat
0:48:45 > 0:48:48but without that rest, straight back.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51That's correct, yes. JEM WHISTLES
0:48:51 > 0:48:54A seat that performs well will catch the dummy's head,
0:48:54 > 0:48:57gently bringing it forward with the car.
0:48:59 > 0:49:03Whereas a poor-performing seat will allow the head to ride up
0:49:03 > 0:49:05over the head restraint.
0:49:05 > 0:49:07This will cause painful
0:49:07 > 0:49:10and potentially dangerous hyperextension of the neck.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17With the BIOrid's neck and spine mimicking our own,
0:49:17 > 0:49:20he records the precise amount of hyperextension
0:49:20 > 0:49:23and can determine the level of injury.
0:49:23 > 0:49:24Just pull him nice and gently.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26Once in the seat,
0:49:26 > 0:49:28we have to align the pelvis to a precise angle.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32OK.
0:49:32 > 0:49:37And we've got the tilt sensors there, so they need all to be green.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39So if you grab hold of his pelvis angle gauge...
0:49:39 > 0:49:42It requires a bit of, well... manhandling.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46OK, almost there. Little bit of a push down...
0:49:46 > 0:49:48Bit more...
0:49:48 > 0:49:50It's less easy than you think. Oh, God!
0:49:51 > 0:49:53Oh, I've moved him totally wrongly now.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58- It's a bit like the Generation Game. - It is a bit!
0:49:58 > 0:50:00I never saw this version.
0:50:05 > 0:50:07If only I'd known that technique.
0:50:18 > 0:50:23In a real-world situation it's like a stationary car being hit
0:50:23 > 0:50:25by a very similar moving car at 30mph.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28So imagine that, you've stopped there at the traffic lights,
0:50:28 > 0:50:31something piles straight into the back of you at 30mph.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34That's the kind of effect that you're going to see down there.
0:50:34 > 0:50:38My suspicion is it's not going to look pretty.
0:50:38 > 0:50:39Testing.
0:50:41 > 0:50:42Three, two, one...
0:50:44 > 0:50:45Ohhh!
0:50:47 > 0:50:48MECHANISM HISSES
0:50:59 > 0:51:02I didn't think it was going to be quite that harsh.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05It just piled through the back of the seat. I...
0:51:05 > 0:51:06HE GASPS
0:51:07 > 0:51:09And when you look at the slow motion...
0:51:13 > 0:51:17The seat deforms, the head then rides up over the head restraint
0:51:17 > 0:51:22and the neck comes right back in a kind of hyperextension.
0:51:23 > 0:51:28You can see why that seat head restraint is so vastly important.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30The movement on the neck is just wrong.
0:51:32 > 0:51:33Examining the seat,
0:51:33 > 0:51:37it's clear the dummy would have suffered severe injuries.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40The dummy has seen hyperextension, as the head did go clearly
0:51:40 > 0:51:42right round the top of the head restraint.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46And you can see the marks here in the silver tape where the vertebrae
0:51:46 > 0:51:49have actually dug into the silver tape
0:51:49 > 0:51:53instead of the back of the head being supported really nicely
0:51:53 > 0:51:55in the centre of the head restraint.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03This was an extreme case,
0:52:03 > 0:52:07but thousands of similar tests like this on a whole range of
0:52:07 > 0:52:09car seats have informed manufacturers
0:52:09 > 0:52:12how to build safer seats.
0:52:12 > 0:52:16It's vital research, as whiplash, even in its mild form,
0:52:16 > 0:52:20is a debilitating injury that is difficult to diagnose.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23It often causes misery to sufferers
0:52:23 > 0:52:27and costs insurers over £2 billion a year.
0:52:28 > 0:52:32Without the BIOrid dummy, this toll would be far greater.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40The Hybrid III, in all its various forms, has been
0:52:40 > 0:52:43the dummy of choice for nearly 30 years
0:52:43 > 0:52:45but, like every great champion,
0:52:45 > 0:52:49there is always a young pretender waiting in the wings.
0:52:49 > 0:52:53And in the dummy world the new kid on the block is called Thor,
0:52:53 > 0:52:55and with his impressive array of technology,
0:52:55 > 0:53:01it really does look likely he will become the new god of safety.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03THUNDERCLAP
0:53:09 > 0:53:14So here it is, the Test Device For Human Occupant Restraint,
0:53:14 > 0:53:16or Thor for short.
0:53:16 > 0:53:18And with a name like that it's only fitting
0:53:18 > 0:53:20I'd have to come to Sweden to find him.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27When you're out driving, you shouldn't be hurt,
0:53:27 > 0:53:29you should be safe.
0:53:29 > 0:53:34And what we've been trying to do for the past 100 years
0:53:34 > 0:53:37is making sure that that's what happens.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41We're getting better and better at it.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47Volvo's Gothenburg HQ boasts the largest
0:53:47 > 0:53:49and most advanced crash lab in the world.
0:53:50 > 0:53:54Here, every type of real-world crash scenario
0:53:54 > 0:53:59is recreated as they search for the Holy Grail of the crash-proof car.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02Central to this development is Thor,
0:54:02 > 0:54:06their new half-a-million-pound super-dummy.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10He represents the cutting edge in terms of biofidelic features
0:54:10 > 0:54:12and sensor technology.
0:54:12 > 0:54:17One major innovation is his highly manoeuvrable clavicle
0:54:17 > 0:54:20that closely mimics the human shoulder.
0:54:20 > 0:54:23The shape, but also the big flexibility.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25- Because that's what we are.- Yeah.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27We could see from the real world that we actually had
0:54:27 > 0:54:31head impacts in areas where the Hybrid III didn't even reach to.
0:54:31 > 0:54:34- Right.- So that... - That flexibility...
0:54:34 > 0:54:36That's made us develop this shoulder and it works nice.
0:54:37 > 0:54:42Thor's biggest innovation is that he provides information on areas
0:54:42 > 0:54:45previously unmonitored by the Hybrid III.
0:54:45 > 0:54:50Sensors in his arms, abdomen and even in his featureless face
0:54:50 > 0:54:53can now provide data on non-life-threatening injuries.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57Biofidelically, he is the closest thing to a human being
0:54:57 > 0:55:00from head to toe.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04You can see that that's a world of difference.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07- It's almost just a single hinge. - It IS a single hinge.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09I mean, the Hybrid III has a ball joint
0:55:09 > 0:55:11and that's not what we look like.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14We have a different point of rotation for twisting
0:55:14 > 0:55:15and for flexing.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18And I guess in ankle injuries again you wouldn't necessarily
0:55:18 > 0:55:21put them down as life-threatening, but there's been a lot of work
0:55:21 > 0:55:24gone into establishing what happens with the ankles.
0:55:24 > 0:55:26Ankle injuries can give long-term consequences
0:55:26 > 0:55:29because of its complexity in the joint.
0:55:29 > 0:55:31Also because of load transfer.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34So that we have the correct load transfer for the Thor dummy.
0:55:34 > 0:55:38And it's the subtleties that make such a huge difference
0:55:38 > 0:55:41because one big feature of a human being, everything is connected.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44- Absolutely.- One thing gets knocked and it has an impact...- Exactly.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48In order to develop a protection system that actually
0:55:48 > 0:55:52addresses real humans in a good way, you have to have as humanlike
0:55:52 > 0:55:55behaviour of the crash test dummy as possible.
0:55:55 > 0:55:56And still we have to remember
0:55:56 > 0:55:59that this is primarily our measurement tool,
0:55:59 > 0:56:02that needs to be repeatable, perform the same way every time.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06So, yes, that's the challenge here,
0:56:06 > 0:56:08to make it as sophisticated
0:56:08 > 0:56:11and biofidelic as possible but still being very repeatable.
0:56:11 > 0:56:15- That's the challenge for engineers. - That is the challenge. - That's what we do.
0:56:17 > 0:56:21Thor completes a line of selfless, unquestioning dummies,
0:56:21 > 0:56:24tireless in their pursuit of safety.
0:56:24 > 0:56:27Each one more sophisticated, more biofidelic,
0:56:27 > 0:56:29more robust than the last.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33Men, women, children,
0:56:33 > 0:56:35even dogs...
0:56:35 > 0:56:39they all remain icons of safety.
0:56:40 > 0:56:44But what of the future?
0:56:44 > 0:56:46Can the crash test dummy survive?
0:56:48 > 0:56:51Or is the computer about to take over?
0:56:51 > 0:56:55With the next safety innovations geared towards preventing
0:56:55 > 0:56:58the crash in the first place, engineers like Volvo's
0:56:58 > 0:57:03Mickael Ljungaust will need help from a virtual crash test dummy.
0:57:05 > 0:57:07If you're not looking at the road,
0:57:07 > 0:57:10and there's a car suddenly braking in front of you,
0:57:10 > 0:57:14the car will tell you and ask you to look at the road again,
0:57:14 > 0:57:17so you can brake. If you don't, the car might brake for you.
0:57:20 > 0:57:24So what we're doing now is really trying to develop
0:57:24 > 0:57:28kind of the equivalent of a crash test dummy.
0:57:28 > 0:57:34We need a crash test mind, if you will.
0:57:40 > 0:57:43But it's a long journey and we'd prefer to stay on the safe side,
0:57:43 > 0:57:48so we'll keep our dummies employed for the foreseeable future.
0:57:51 > 0:57:55The crash test dummy, a unique feat of engineering.
0:57:55 > 0:58:00It's a highly evolved, superhumanly strong...life-saver,
0:58:00 > 0:58:06who, for over 65 years, has played a part in all our lives.
0:58:07 > 0:58:09I think there's a great history to them
0:58:09 > 0:58:12and I think there's also a great future to them as well.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17All of us owe a debt of gratitude to our family of crash dummies
0:58:17 > 0:58:21who have really taken a hit in these crash tests.
0:58:22 > 0:58:25Simply put, there are many, many people walking around today
0:58:25 > 0:58:28that owe their lives to crash test dummies.
0:58:38 > 0:58:41Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd