uatp2/iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — One Thor has golden blonde hair and can fly. The other Thor is bald and can drive. One thing they both have in common? They both save people’s lives.
On Tuesday, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) released their newest version of Thor, otherwise known as a crash test dummy or “Test device for Human Occupant Restraint.”
Thor’s newest updates allow NHTSA researchers to better measure how car crashes affect the human body. The crash dummy currently has over 100 distinct measurements to help predict injuries that may affect the head, neck, pelvis, abdomen, thigh, shin or ankle.
His improvements include an anatomically correct rib cage; a neck that bends, twists and stretches for realistic head motion; a rotating shoulder; an abdomen that responds to seat belt interaction; and legs that respond to the impact of a dashboard or pedal.
NHTSA and the DOT hope Thor and his state-of-the-art body will be used to not only predict crash injuries, but prevent those injuries all together and ultimately save lives.
Now, if only he could have his super hero counterpart’s abs too.
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