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They take the hit for us in the name of safety. And while biofedelic anthropomorphic test devices, better known as crash test dummies, can't talk, they speak volumes about how crash forces impact human beings.

Human-like crash test dummies, like General Motors' Hybrid III, replicate the human form in overall weight, size and proportion. These high-tech dummies actually "feel for us," using sophisticated technologies that gauge the potential for head, neck, chest, spine and leg injuries. The injury measurements retrieved from them are then used by vehicle safety engineers to design safety in a car.

Life-saving features - like three-point safety belts, airbags, and protective vehicle structures - have been developed, tested and refined with the help of these vinyl-skinned, data-collecting humanoids. The contribution of crash test technology to the safety of motor vehicles has been substantial and continues to lead the way to smarter, safer cars.

Source: General Motors