GM Test Dummy Goes to the Smithsonian

After earlier today Swedish manufacturer Volvo announced the Smithsonian National Museum of American History will put on display its three-point safety belt, American manufacturer GM announced the 50H-1 Anthropomorphic Test Device (ATD), known to the general public as the test dummy, will get the same honor.

“GM’s leading role in the development of crash test devices over the decades makes it fitting that one of our crash veterans become part of the Smithsonian’s collections,” Mike Robinson, GM vice president of Safety Policy said in a release. “With all that we have learned from him over the years, it almost seems unfair to call 50H-1 a dummy.”

The donation, part of the same collection of technological advancements in the auto industry the Volvo seat belt is part of, represents GM's contribution to the enhancement of automotive safety. In addition to the dummy, GM will also donate an ATD leg and instruments used for measuring crash forces, and an energy-absorbing steering column from a 1967 Chevrolet vehicle.

The test dummy donated today took part in the crash testing of Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac cars, trucks and crossovers. It was among the first dummies used in rollover crash testing at the Barrier Crash Facility (Building 61) in Milford.

“GM developed the Hybrid III dummy design in the 1980s and shared the patents with government and industry,” Jack Jensen, GM engineering group manager at GM’s ATD lab at the Milford Proving Ground added. “This is the dummy most widely used in crash testing across the U.S.”