Department of Biomedical Engineering
McGill University
Supervisor: Dr. R. Kearney
Abstract - Biofidelic surrogate systems, commonly referred to as dummies, provide a convenient means of assessing potential injuries under specific loading conditions. They are designed to reproduce the dynamic mechanical response of the human body to loading by replicating the visco-elastic behavior of biological tissues and the mechanisms of structural failure. Physical parameters, such as force and acceleration, are recorded using transducers placed within the surrogate. These measurements are used to assess the probability of injury and the performance of safety devices.
The most common types of biomechanical surrogates and various areas of application will be introduced. This will be complemented by an overview of different aspects of their development, including the characterization of injury mechanisms, the specification of biofidelity requirements, and the validation of physical responses.