TRL has released a new ‘biofidelic legform impactor’ for use in testing and assessing contact sensor technology used in vehicles’ active safety pedestrian systems. The new legform will enable vehicle and component manufacturers to accurately test and evaluate new systems designed to reduce pedestrian head injury in the event of a impact.
Based on […]

TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. has signed an agreement with the National Center of Supervision and Inspection of Motor Vehicle Products Quality (Shanghai) to co-invest in dynamic test capabilities supporting the occupant safety system (OSS) development. Capabilities will include head impact and body block tests to correspond with legal regulations and a programmable Hydro-Brake system for […]

General Motors opened a state-of-the-art rollover crash test facility in December 2005, becoming the first North American automaker to integrate in-house testing for the infrequent but potentially deadly rollover crashes that claim 10,000 lives a year. Rollovers account for just 2 percent of all crashes but claim 40 percent of the fatalities annually on American […]

The SAE Human Accommodations and Design Devices Committee has made three improvements to the new H-Point machine (HPM-II) for future HPM builds.
These improvements include revisions to the knee angle scale, modifications to placement of H-Point divots for better accessibility, and smaller screws for shoe bottoms to ensure flatness on hard surfaces. The changes […]

The Auto Spectator ran a story yesterday on the history of crash test dummies used at Ford Motor Co. Although it focuses on Ford, it’s an interesting on how Ford got started and where they’re going with saftety testing. LINK

It’s not written for automotive test engineers, but the website How Stuff Works has an interesting article on How Crash Testing Works.

Flexpoint Sensor Systems recently announced that it has hired MGA Research to validate its Pedestrian Impact Detection System. The tests will validate the system’s ability to differentiate between a human leg and an inanimate object as required in the company’s protocol for Stage II testing. The test results will then be shared with automakers and […]

According to Reuters, Honeywell International said on Friday it was in advanced talks to sell the crash test dummies unit of newly acquired First Technology Plc., a British safety device engineering company.
First Technology has been making crash-test dummies for approximately 40 years and employs about 250 people. In 2005, the unit accounted for about […]

Three SAE test standards were either revised or reaffirmed in December 2005:

J1621 DEC2005 (Reaffirmed) Engine Retarder Dynamometer Test and Capability Rating Procedure. Issued by the Truck And Bus Engine And Vehicle Performance Subcommittee, this Recommended Practice specifies:

a basis for net engine retarder power rating;
reference inlet air test conditions;
a method for correcting observed engine retarder power […]

Nissan Motor announced on August 31 that it has begun operations at its newly constructed Nissan Advanced Crash Laboratory (NACL) located at the company’s Oppama Proving Ground in Yokosuka City, 50 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. The 40,000-square-meter, state-of-the-art laboratory will be used for testing safety performance in vehicle-to-vehicle crashes and occupant protection performance in rollover […]