Advanced Human Modeling Laboratory

The Advanced Human Modeling Laboratory of the Bioengineering Center is working on a project code-named ANSIR (Anthropomorphic Numerical Surrogate for Injury Reduction). The current paradigm of designing a safer vehicle is to conduct biomechanical studies in order to obtain human response data to design anthropomorphic crash dummies, which in turn are used to develop and evaluate new concepts for vehicular safety systems. Unfortunately, significant differences exist between the dummy and the human. For instance, dummies are designed to emulate human responses in a handful of impact directions and are unable to fully simulate bony fractures. Nonetheless, dummies have become part of the regulations set forth by governmental agencies, and as a result, while modern day cars are much safer than their predecessors, one may say that today's cars are designed to be safe for dummies. With the rapid advancement in computing technology, modeling the human occupant has become an achievable goal and the present aim of this laboratory is to develop a family of numerical surrogates to investigate human injury mechanisms and tolerances.