DEARBORN, April 30, 2008 (FCN) Ford Motor Company and the Society of Automotive Engineers will embark this fall on an international study of a prototype abdominal insert for pediatric crash dummies. In a complementary collaborative effort, Ford and 10 other automakers and suppliers are working to develop one of the industry s first lifelike child crash-test virtual models.

Ford Motor Company and the Society of Automotive Engineers will embark this fall on an international study of a prototype abdominal insert for pediatric crash dummies.

This effort furthers Ford s commitment to help protect families by helping reduce the most common collision-related injuries among children, said Dr. Steve Rouhana, a senior technical leader with Ford s Passive Safety Research and Advanced Engineering Department. We hope to help save more lives thanks to this research.

Pediatric crash dummies with the more lifelike abdomen will be helpful in analyzing the risk of serious injury to children during car accidents. Independent studies found that children ages 4 to 8 are at higher risk for injuries to the spine and abdomen caused by the inappropriate use of a Child Restraint System.

Ford developed the more lifelike abdomen in conjunction with Dearborn-based STR Systems, a safety technology and research firm; The Children s Hospital of Philadelphia; Wayne State University in Detroit; the University of Virginia; and Takata Corporation, a global manufacturer of automotive safety systems.

Dr. Steve Rouhana, a senior technical leader with Ford s Passive Safety Research and Advanced Engineering Department, said the development of a pediatric dummy reflects "Ford s commitment to help protect families and to help reduce the most common collision-related injuries among children.

The prototype pediatric abdomen insert is similar in size and shape to that of a 6-year-old child and is made of multiple layers of liquid silicone that, when solidified, forms a tough silicone shell. Inside is a set of electrodes immersed in a conductive fluid that comprise the sensors for the abdomen six electrodes at the front of the abdomen and one reference electrode at the back.

After looking at a number of measurement methods, electric resistance provided us the most accurate results, Rouhana said. The fluid inside the abdomen has a known resistivity so we quantify penetration by measuring the electrical resistance which is a function of the distance between the sensor electrodes.

Initial testing of how the pediatric abdomen responds to belt loading was just completed. For these tests, the abdomen was placed in a pediatric crash dummy retrofitted with a prototype pelvis created by the University of Michigan. According to Rouhana, this pelvis is more humanlike, reflecting the rounded shape of an average 6-year-old pelvis.

The problem with the typical crash dummy is that the pelvis area is very square. And when a safety belt interacts with this more square pelvis during a crash it will catch almost every time, Rouhana said. With a more realistic rounded pelvis, the belt may slip above the pelvic bone, which can be associated with abdominal injuries during a crash.

Ultimately, the data gathered using both actual and virtual crash test dummies may help Ford and other members of the consortium to develop and bring to market innovative safety technologies faster than ever and in advance of possible future government regulations.

To further ensure accurate test results, data gathered from studies of actual car crashes where 4 to 8-year-old children sustained abdominal injuries was used. The team from Children s Hospital of Philadelphia published a paper in 2005 showing that the risk of abdominal injury in children 4 to 8 years old was 25 times that of children in the 0- to 3-year-old range and three times that of children in the 9- to 15-year-old range. The reason for this is that 4- to 8-year olds should be in belt positioning booster seats, but often go right from a child seat to an adult safety belt. Children s Hospital of Philadelphia also provided shape and size data for children from a study of volunteer subjects -- real children -- from their patient population.

Ford s leading role in developing a more lifelike pediatric crash dummy has received worldwide recognition from engineers and experts within the field of biomechanics. Last spring, for example, Ford s Rouhana was invited to the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan s Annual Congress to discuss the company s innovative research.

In addition, a paper detailing the abdomen s development (authored by University of Virginia s Dr. Richard Kent, Ford s Rouhana and others) beat out 25 contenders to receive the prestigious Stapp Car Crash Conference s John Paul Stapp Award last October for making the most significant contribution in 2007 to the field of impact biomechanics related to the reduction of injuries in automotive transportation.

Virtual Body Modeling

The development of the pediatric crash dummy is concurrent with Ford s global collaborative research and development activities in human body modeling to advance crash safety technology throughout the industry. The computer models, which represent human beings in minute detail, could help scientists determine and better understand injuries that are likely to result from a vehicle crash. This research, which has been ongoing for at least 10 years, already has led to the creation of a full adult body model and is currently driving development of a child body model.

The body models duplicate regions of the body such as the head, neck, ribcage, abdomen, thoracic and lumbar spine, internal organs of the chest and abdomen, pelvis, and the upper and lower extremities.

Human Body Models may reduce physical testing on component and full-scale levels during vehicle development, said Jesse Ruan, passive safety engineer in Ford s Research and Advanced Engineering. It will also be used to develop more sophisticated instrumentation that could lead to more human-like crash dummies.

Since 2006, Ford has worked with a group of 10 other automakers and suppliers known as the Global Human Body Models Consortium LLC on human body modeling research and development in order save money, speed results through the elimination of duplicate work, and standardize vehicle development tools for enhanced crash safety.