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Toyota provides free access to Total Human Model for Safety

Data shows strong take-up outside of automotive industry
01/07/2021
Toyota’s Total Human Model for Safety (THUMS) simulates the impact of external forces on the entire human physiology in a wide array of scenarios. Since Toyota made THUMS available free of charge, over 400 users downloaded the application globally.

Ultimate goal of zero casualties from road traffic accidents

Total Human Model for Safety - or THUMS for short - is based on more than 20 years of work since 1997. Today, THUMS is the world’s most advanced virtual human body simulation model.

Toyota made THUMS available free of charge on a dedicated public website at the start of this year. The already 400 global users that have downloaded the application also include ergonomics studies in non-automotive areas. For example, the THUMS model is used in bed design aimed at bedsore prevention, and also in the design of rackets, American football helmets and shoes for injury prevention.

THUMS has originally been developed as a digital car crash test dummy, which includes all the bones, organs, tissues and tendons found in the human body. The virtual dummy can be a man, woman or child of different ages, and can even take different postures – sitting or walking. This makes THUMS one of the most advanced systems available to simulate and analyse injuries caused by external forces in endless possible scenarios.

Total Human Model for Safety Opens in new window
Compared to the physical crash dummies commonly used in vehicle collision tests, THUMS is able to analyse collision-related injuries in more detail, because it precisely models the shapes and durability of human bodies while taking into account different gender, age groups and body sizes as well as different postures. THUMS can help improve safety and comfort in a wider array of applications. This is why Toyota wants to spread the use of THUMS more widely and beyond the automotive industry by making it freely available.
Tjark Kreuzinger, Senior Manager TME R&D Safety Research
Sharing its know-how freely with third-parties is not new to Toyota: in 2019, the company granted royalty-free licenses on almost 24,000 patents it holds for vehicle electrification-related technologies to help accelerate development of sustainable mobility.