The Army is developing a mannequin that researchers call the world's first crash test dummy for under-body vehicle blast testing.
A prototype of the Warrior Injury Assessment Mannequin, or WIAMan, is expected to be delivered in 2018 and accurately show the affect of a blast on soldiers in new vehicle systems, according to a release from Army Research, Development and Engineering Command.
WIAMan will be used to evaluate the effects of under-body blasts involving vehicles, and assess the risk to soldiers in ground vehicle systems. The goal is to help design vehicles and personal protective equipment that may better protect soldiers and save their lives.
Army Materiel Command is sponsoring the project.
WIAMan and the platform created to simulate an IED explosion are undergoing testing, putting the project closer to its goal, according to a report from WHNT News 19.
A challenge for the Army has been to develop a crash test dummy that moves enough like a human body to get an accurate result.
The Army is working to make the mannequin "bio-fedelic," meaning it can match human movement, Frederick Hughes, director of the WIAMan Engineering Office, said in the report.
"It's difficult, it takes some time in trying to characterize a human being's bones in battle," Mark Angelos of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, told WHNT.
WIAMan will be 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weigh 185 pounds, based on the size of an average soldier.
Rachael Kalinyak is an editorial intern with Network Solutions.
