In the late 1980's, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) awarded Ohio State University a grant to develop a multisized family of test dummies based on the Hybrid III design. As part of that endeavor, the Mechanical Human Simulation Subcommittee of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) formed a task group to define the size, weight, impact response characteristics and response measurements for a 6-year-old child dummy which would have, at least, the same level of biofidelity and measurement capacity as the mid-size adult male Hybrid III dummy.
The size and weight specifications of the Hybrid III 6 year old dummy are based on the average characteristic dimensions taken from anthropometry studies of 6 year old boys and girls. The biofidelic impact response requirements for head, neck, chest, and knees were extrapolated from the corresponding Hybrid III adult male responses taking into account the differences in size, weight, and tissue material properties that exist between children and adults.
