Last week, Ford's innovative research in this area was part of a technical presentation at the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan's Annual Congress in Yokohama, Japan. Each year, the (northern) spring gathering attracts hundreds of engineers from around the world and provides an opportunity for them to share their latest research and achievements related to automotive and secondary technologies.

Ford's prototype paediatric abdominal insert is a collaborative effort with The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Wayne State University in Detroit; the University of Virginia; Dearborn-based STR Systems, a safety technology and research firm; and Takata Corporation, a global manufacturer of automotive safety systems.

The collaboration between Ford and the other organisations began in late 2003 in an effort to make paediatric crash dummies and crash tests more real world, and in turn, lead to the development of vehicle restraints that will improve the safety of children.

"The major focus has always been on head and chest injuries," says Steve Rouhana, a senior technical leader with Ford's Passive Safety Research and Advanced Engineering Department, of crash dummy testing. "But the lack of an abdomen is not just a matter of priority. We really didn't have the technology before to accurately measure abdominal response."

The prototype paediatric abdomen insert is similar in size and shape to a 6-year-old human's and is constructed of a silicone shell made up of multiple lays of liquid silicone. Inside is an LED and optical sensor surrounded by a high-viscosity, red or blue silicone fluid. The complex sensors measure penetration based on the amount of light absorbed by the silicone fluid.

Late last year, the University of Virginia developed a custom belt-loading test apparatus to better assess how the prototype paediatric abdomen responds to belt loading. To ensure accurate test results, data gathered from studies of actual car crashes where 6-year-old children sustained abdominal injuries is being used.

The child abdomen insert is one of the many advanced safety technologies Ford is working on to improve the overall safety of its vehicles and occupants, both big and small.