The Tummy Shield™ was tested in a dynamic sled test utilizing the 5% Female Hybrid III outfitted in a typical production vehicle seat to investigate the Biomechanical Response of the Tummy Shield with the female dummy which simulate a crash test at high speed. The results of these tests demonstrated that:
- The Tummy Shield remained intact during all tests which means that a seat belt system in a vehicle utilizing the Tummy Shield would continue to meet all requirements of ADR 04/03 (Seatbelts)
- The Biomechanical results indicated that the crash load was effectively transferred to the thigh area with the femur being the primary structural component. Though not a likely outcome, if there is enough crash energy to cause serious injury to one or both femur/thighs, then can’t we assume that there was enough energy to certainly have caused catastrophic effects in the abdomen/uterus area?
- Though the report did not specifically state the change in the movement of the pelvis during the tests with and without the Tummy Shield, there is no evidence in the 10 millisecond apart snap shots of an increase in forward movement when using the knee as an indicator of pelvis movement. What this means is that there does not seem to be an increase risk of the occupants pelvis or lower extremities moving the user forward into or toward the deployment zone of an airbag or steering wheel and demonstrates the absence of submarining.
- The Tummy Shield™ has been tested in a certified testing facility in Australia.
In order to go above and beyond, the dynamic sled tests that are required for passenger vehicle seat belt systems by ADR 04/00, further tests were performed using the 50% Male Hybrid III test dummy (which is much heavier than a female dummy and not required for this product) outfitted with the Tummy Shield™. All test results were within the specifications allowed by ADR guidelines. Both USA FMVSS standards and ADR guidelines require similar tests with a velocity change from 48 km/h (approximately 30mph) resulting in at least 28 g of acceleration.
