An early 2000s female-designated crash test dummy used in some regulatory tests was a scaled-down version of a male dummy with breasts added and did not capture true anatomical differences between typical male and female bodies.
2000s
high
descriptive
This design approach has been criticized for failing to represent female pelvic, neck, and limb anatomy that affect injury outcomes in crashes.
Vehicle safety tests in the United States have historically used crash test dummies modeled on an average male body rather than on female anatomy.
high
descriptive
Most regulatory crash testing fleets and safety ratings have relied on male-based anthropomorphic test devices.
The THOR-05F crash test dummy is designed to represent a 5th-percentile adult female (a very small adult woman) and is based on female anatomical data intended to reflect differences such as pelvic shape, neck geometry, and lower-leg characteristics.
medium
descriptive
A 5th-percentile surrogate targets the smaller end of adult female body-size distributions rather than an average-size female.
Individual advanced crash test dummies can each cost more than $1 million to produce.
high
descriptive
High development, instrumentation, and calibration costs make modern anthropomorphic test devices expensive.