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The vehicle design process for occupant safety is becoming more and more demanding. Design requirements defined by (new) regulations and consumer tests are continuously increasing in both stringency and complexity, making the optimization process for restraint systems increasingly complex. Virtual testing can make a valuable contribution to the design process, as it reduces development time. It also allows engineers to test for solution robustness and determine the sensitivities of the design parameters. For the virtual testing approach to be successful, simulations must be acceptable in terms of accuracy and efficiency. MADYMO has introduced new Quality rated (Q) dummy models using advanced multi body techniques, in order to obtain short computation times combined with the geometry and accuracy of finite element models.

A new lower extremity has been developed to be used with Thor, the NHTSA Advanced Frontal Dummy. The new lower extremity, known as Thor-Lx, consists of the femur, tibia, ankle joints, foot, a representation of the Achilles' tendon and the associated flash/skins, it has been designed to improve biomechanical response under axial loading of the femur during knee impacts, axial loading of the tibia, static and dynamic dorsiflexion, static plantarflexion and inversion/aversion. Instrumentation includes a standard Hybrid ill femur load cell, accelerometers, load cells, and rotary potentiometers to capture relevant kinematic and dynamic information from the foot and tibia. The design also allows the Tnor-Lx to be attached to the Hybrid III, either at the hip, or at the knee.