U-M designed elderly crash test dummy makes TV debut

Stewart Wang, M.D., Ph.D., right, with WDIV-TV’s Dr. Frank McGeorge.

Tune in Monday night as an obese, aging crash test dummy, designed with input from U-M trauma surgeon Stewart Wang, M.D., Ph.D., makes its debut on WDIV-TV.

As the director of the U-M International Center for Automotive Medicine, also known as ICAM, Wang’s research has helped bring automotive safety testing into the modern era with crash test dummies that better reflect the size and shape of today’s drivers.

He’s seen firsthand the devastating and often fatal injuries that occur during car crashes and helps translate complex medical information into concepts that automotive engineers can use.

So years after giving the feedback to manufacturer Humanetics, that “crash test dummies look nothing like his patients,” engineers have used U-M data to create new ones.

Viewers will see the debut of the elderly dummy at 8 p.m., as Wang joins Humanetics chief executive officer Chris O’Connor for a special Detroit Auto Show preview special airing at 8 p.m.

The interview by WDIV health correspondent Dr. Frank McGeorge is wide-ranging and covers car crash injury patterns, the promise of autonomous vehicles and how innovations in crash test dummies help pedestrians, as well. .

Website: http://automotivemedicine.org/about/