Variability in Body Shape, Superficial Soft Tissue Geometry, and Seatbelt Fit Relative to the Pelvis in Automotive Postures-Methods for Volunteer Data Collection With Open Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Variability in body shape and soft tissue geometry have the potential to affect the body's interaction with automotive safety systems. In this study, we developed a methodology to capture information on body shape, superficial soft tissue geometry, skeletal geometry, and seatbelt fit relative to the skeleton-in automotive postures-using Open Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Volunteer posture and belt fit were first measured in a vehicle and then reproduced in a custom MRI-safe seat (with an MR-visible seatbelt) placed in an Open MR scanner.

Incorporating neck biomechanics in helmet testing: Evaluation of commercially available WaveCel helmets.

Background: Cycling helmets often incorporate elements aimed to dissipate rotational energies, which is widely acknowledged to play a key role in concussion mechanics. In this study, we investigated the mechanics of an oblique helmet test protocol that induced helmet rotation while using it to evaluate the effectiveness of three helmet models: two standard expanded polystyrene helmets and a commercially-available helmet equipped with a liner designed to mitigate linear and rotational energies.

Methods: Helmets equipped with WaveCel were tested against two expanded polystyrene helmet models through guided drops using a Hybrid III (HIII) head-and-neck surrogate.

Methodology to measure seat belt fit in relation to skeletal geometry using an upright open MRI.

Objective: Poor seat belt fit can result in submarining behavior and injuries to the lower extremity and abdomen. While previous studies have explored seat belt fit relative to skeletal landmarks using palpation, medical imaging remains the gold standard for visualizing and locating skeletal landmarks and soft tissues. The goal of this study was to create a method to image automotive postures and seat belt fit from the pelvis to the clavicle using an Upright Open MRI.

The Lack of Sex, Age, and Anthropometric Diversity in Neck Biomechanical Data.

Female, elderly, and obese individuals are at greater risk than male, young, and non-obese individuals for neck injury in otherwise equivalent automotive collisions. The development of effective safety technologies to protect all occupants requires high quality data from a range of biomechanical test subjects representative of the population at risk. Here we sought to quantify the demographic characteristics of the volunteers and post-mortem human subjects (PMHSs) used to create the available biomechanical data for the human neck during automotive impacts.