An international consortium of nine automakers and two parts suppliers is asking researchers for proposals to develop “virtual humans” — computer programs that will help them design safer cars and trucks.
The Global Human Body Models Consortium LLC says the computer models will provide better simulations of crash injuries than current crash dummies.
In an announcement scheduled for Sunday at the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit, the companies say they have requested proposals from 40 research and university groups worldwide, and plan to create five centers of expertise for different parts of the body and two centers for full body models.
The companies which formed the consortium a year ago are DaimlerChrysler AG, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp., Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co., Nissan Motor Corp., PSA Peugeot-Citroen, Renault SA, Takata Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and TRW Inc.
