A Computational Human Model With Stabilizing Spine: A Step Towards Active Safety

Rapidly developing application areas for human models in simulations are pre-crash, rollover, comfort and occupant sensing, which in general require longer simulation times than the short impact scenarios used so far. These applications require postural stability of the human model during the simulated time, which was incorporated in the spine of the MADYMO human model in this study.

The model uses lumped active control elements with full-state feedback at each vertebra in flexion-extension and lateral bending. Control parameters were identified on the basis of impactor tests on human volunteers. As a result a stable and robust model was developed, yet only the parameter identification did not live up to the expectations, due to limitations in both test and human model.