The crash test family is growing, in the virtual world that is. Today’s crash test dummies made of rubber and steel will soon be joined by next-generation Human Body Models (HBMs) designed with precise detail, but living only in the world of computer-generated virtual reality. The HBMs were created through the Global Human Body Models Consortium, LLC (GHBMC), established in 2006, by a group of nine automotive manufacturers and two automotive system suppliers.
These next-generation HBMs are intended to help simulate human responses in automobile crashes. The HBMs will help researchers better predict the effect of trauma on the body than they have traditionally been able to do with crash test dummies. The new HBMs will even contain detailed representation of the bones and soft tissues of the human body, with special attention being directed to those parts that are frequently injured in vehicle crashes. Such advanced HBMs will support computer simulations such as virtual crash tests to help better understand human reactions and to improve automotive safety globally.
The GHBMC is composed of Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Honda R&D Co., Ltd., Hyundai Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Renault s.a.s., PSA Peugeot-Citroën, Takata Corp., Toyota Motor Corporation and TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. The mission of the GHBMC is to create the world’s most detailed computer models of the human body. Following an in-depth request to more than 40 top research institutions, the GHBMC has now selected six teams made up of universities and research institutions from across the globe to collaborate with each other and GHBMC’s members on this project. Six Centers of Expertise (COEs) have been formed and include a full body integration center together with five body region centers: head, neck, thorax/upper extremities, abdomen, and pelvis/lower extremities.
The GHBMC brings together research leaders in the field of injury biomechanics and computer modeling, collaborating to create models of the human to be recognized globally as being world standards for injury prediction. Additionally, the use of HBMs will enable better prediction of traumatic injury at detailed levels.