Now is the digital age, and it’s never been more evident in society than right now. Crash test dummies – the molds used to test car accident safety – are no exception either. Even they have gone digital.

Ford has announced plans to create a digital crash dummy proportioned in the form of a human child. The new dummy will be much more anatomically correct than current crash test molds, which may improve child safety should an accident occur.

It’s been a long time coming, but Ford has decided to create the child-sized digital dummy in order to better understand how car accidents may affect the smaller, more vulnerable frame of a child. Previously, car companies generally depended on a universally-sized crash test dummy to test car safety. But, as we know, people come in all shapes and sizes.

Digital Dummies: The latest in child injury accident prevention

While digital dummies won’t outright replace the physical dummies used in car accident test subjects, they will be used for purposes of research to better understand injury mechanisms. The digital dummies are unable to measure the effect of forces, but will help scientists understand how car accidents impact restraint systems as they pertain to children.

“Our restraint systems are developed to help reduce serious injuries and fatalities in the field, and they have proven to be very effective,” said the Senior Technical Leader for Safety, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering. “Building a digital human model of a child will help us design future systems that offer better protection for our young passengers.”

Reducing the risk of a child’s injury accident

Ford will create the digital child by using MRI and CAT scans to obtain the workings of a child through an understanding of geometry. Physical features of a child including the skull, neck, ribcage, and back will be modeled section by section, each part remarkably like it’s real human counterpart.

Later, scientists will use the digital dummy in a simulated test to observe the effects of an injury car accident.

After each section is built, scientists will transform their findings into a virtual human body. Analytical and mathematical tools are then used to observe the effects of a crash.

“We want to better understand how injuries to younger occupants may be different.” the expert said.

Progress in vehicle research means parents can look forward to the reduced risk of children’s injuries in a car accident. While accidents do happen, a child’s injury can be one of the most devastating kinds of accident. If your child has been injured in a car accident, do not hesitate to get in touch with a San Diego personal injury attorney at the Pines Salomon Injury Lawyers, APC. for a free and confidential legal evaluation. We’ll help you seek the recovery you deserve.