Here are five key application areas for manikins, especially test manikins used in industrial, automotive, and research environments.
Manikins (commonly called Crash Test Dummies) are used in vehicle crash simulations to evaluate occupant protection performance.
They measure forces, accelerations, and potential injuries to the head, chest, pelvis, and limbs during:
Frontal, side, rear, and rollover crashes
Airbag, seatbelt, and structural safety verification
Example: Hybrid III, THOR, and WorldSID dummies used in NCAP and regulatory crash tests.
Thermal or Flame Manikins simulate human thermal response in fire and high-temperature environments.
They are used to assess:
Firefighter suits
Heat-resistant industrial clothing
Thermal protective performance (TPP) of fabrics
Example: ASTM F1930 / ISO 13506 tests using full-scale manikins with surface temperature sensors.
Thermal manikins are used to measure thermal insulation and evaporative resistance of clothing or to test airflow comfort in vehicles and buildings.
Applications include:
Automotive air conditioning system design
Indoor climate control optimization
Smart textile development
Example: ISO 15831 and ISO 14505-2 standards for clothing and vehicle cabin comfort.
Manikins are used to study biomechanics, ergonomics, and human motion simulation for improving equipment and apparel design.
Applications include:
Sportswear performance testing
Helmet and protective gear evaluation
Posture and pressure distribution analysis
Example: Measuring heat/moisture transfer in sports clothing using a sweating manikin.
