This study illustrates that human volunteers, ATD, and PMHSs do not have identical responses in low-speed frontal sled tests but all contribute valuable data as surrogates to individuals involved in MVCs. The differences are largely governed by the overall biofidelity of the surrogates, particularly as it relates to resting muscle tone and active bracing capabilities. Differences in an occupant's kinematic response are important to consider as they reflect the potential for different interactions with safety devices and the vehicle interior. Modified interactions give rise to different injury risks and injury patterns associated with a prescribed vehicle collision mode. ATDs and PMHSs are extremely useful in estimating the kinematic response of humans and evaluating safety devices at injurious levels. However, this study also demonstrated the overall importance of human volunteers. The knowledge gained from the combined biomechanical data of the four subject types can be used to refine and validate computational models and ATDs used to assess injury risk in automotive collisions.
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