Ideas Made Real
The Center for Injury Biomechanics uses computerized human body models to research ways to reduce injury from head trauma. The Total Human Model for Safety (THUMS) was developed by Toyota Central Research and Development Labs.
Like crash test dummies, virtual models are designed to give quantitative data on the risk of injury following a crash. But these models may someday surpass the predictive power of their steel and rubber cousins. Unlike traditional dummies, which must first be durable enough to endure the crash environment, virtual models have no such restrictions.