{"id":3382,"date":"2026-03-23T13:00:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T12:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/simulace-realne-nehody-proc-a-jak-testujeme-s-impaktory\/"},"modified":"2026-03-25T07:56:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T06:56:42","slug":"simulating-real-world-accidents-why-and-how-we-test-with-impactors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/simulating-real-world-accidents-why-and-how-we-test-with-impactors\/","title":{"rendered":"Simulating real-world accidents: Why and how we test with impactors"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>In previous articles about the AUREL pedestrian protection laboratory, we introduced its facilities and capabilities. Now, let\u2019s focus on the core of these tests \u2013 the tools without which modern passive safety development would not be possible. We will focus on impactors and their specific use in physical testing. As this is a broad topic, we will cover it in a series of articles.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why is pedestrian protection so important?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pedestrians, together with cyclists, are among the most vulnerable road users. Their protection is not \u201cjust\u201d a scoring factor in safety assessments \u2013 it is a response to a real global issue with a direct impact on public health and mobility. According to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization (2023):<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Approximately <\/span><b>1.19 million people die annually<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in road traffic accidents worldwide<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than half of these are vulnerable road users \u2013 pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Non-fatal injuries are estimated at <\/span><b>20\u201350 million cases per year<\/b><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pedestrians account for roughly <\/span><b>one quarter of all fatalities<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a collision with a vehicle, pedestrians have no structural protection, unlike vehicle occupants. The impact energy is transferred directly to their body \u2013 first to the lower limbs, then to the pelvis and torso, and finally to the head. This is why <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/services\/pedestrian-protection-test-facility\/\"><b>pedestrian protection<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is an integral part of international homologation requirements as well as independent safety ratings (e.g. Euro NCAP). Automotive manufacturers and their suppliers must meet strict requirements to reduce injury risk under defined impact scenarios.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the same time, developers face a fundamental dilemma:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The vehicle body must be sufficiently rigid<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to protect occupants in a frontal collision<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>At the same time, it must be \u201ccompliant\u201d in areas that may come into contact with a pedestrian<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to minimise the risk of serious injury<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Balancing these conflicting requirements is only possible through precisely defined tests and tools capable of realistically simulating the biomechanical response of the human body. This is where so-called <\/span><b>impactors<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> come into play. AUREL operates <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/pedestrian-protection-test-aurel-a-leader-in-passive-safety\/\"><b>the only pedestrian protection laboratory in the Czech Republic<\/b><\/a> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that uses these impactors and enables customised testing for specific cases.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3357 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sa704982-jpeg-pro-semtix-80p-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sa704982-jpeg-pro-semtix-80p-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sa704982-jpeg-pro-semtix-80p-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width:767px) 767px, (max-width:1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are impactors and what are they used for?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An impactor is a simulation <\/span><b>model of a part of the human body equipped with sensors,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> designed to quantify injury risk during a collision with a vehicle. It measures acceleration, forces, and bending moments, providing data directly comparable to regulatory limits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The use of \u201clive\u201d testing is impossible for obvious reasons:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Ethics<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.polygonaurel.cz\/en\/safe-at-full-throttle-experience-dynamic-testing-at-the-aurel-proving-ground\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>testing<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on humans is unacceptable<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Repeatability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 the human body is a biologically variable system that cannot be standardised<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Accuracy and comparability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 development requires precisely defined and repeatable conditions<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>In pedestrian protection testing, the following are used:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Head impactors<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (child and adult)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Lower limb impactors<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (upper and lower leg)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each has precisely defined mass, geometry, material properties, and measurement systems. While other biomechanical models exist in different areas of passive safety, these types are key for pedestrian protection. In the following articles of this series, we will explore them in more detail.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3350 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/dsc07044-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/dsc07044-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/dsc07044-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width:767px) 767px, (max-width:1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The role of AUREL in impactor testing<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>The Czech pedestrian protection testing laboratory<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at AUREL provides a complete process \u2013 from vehicle intake procedures and measurement of test zones to testing and evaluation of impact data. In addition to testing itself, the team also supports the interpretation of results in cooperation with the customer\u2019s design and simulation departments. The laboratory <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/the-only-pedestrian-protection-test-facility-in-the-czech-republic-achieves-international-accreditation\/\"><b>holds international accreditation<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in accordance with EN ISO\/IEC 17025.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>AUREL is equipped with <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/first-class-technical-infrastructure-and-innovative-conditions-for-global-automakers\/\"><b>the technical equipment and technologies<\/b><\/a><b> for:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Official homologation and development testing (ECE 127, Euro NCAP)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Precise measurement of test zones using coordinate systems<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Internal certification and maintenance of impactors, including verification of their dynamic response<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A key part of the work is regular calibration, verification of mechanical properties, and validation of measurement chains. Beyond testing, the team also contributes to the <\/span><b>development and optimisation of test scenarios in cooperation with OEMs,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ensuring that FEM simulation results closely match real physical test outcomes. The integration of simulations and physical laboratory testing is essential \u2013 both methods complement each other and contribute to more accurate and reliable results.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Simulation that saves lives<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Impactors are not just laboratory tools. They are instruments that translate the laws of physics and the biomechanics of the human body into measurable data \u2013 and subsequently into concrete design decisions. Without them, it would not be possible to systematically develop vehicles that protect not only their occupants but also pedestrians. <\/span><b>In the next parts of this series, we will take a closer look at individual types of impactors<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, their design, measurement principles, and specifics of data evaluation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Interested in how your vehicle or its components perform in pedestrian protection tests? <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/contact\/\"><b>Contact AUREL experts<\/b><\/a><b> and discuss tailored homologation and development testing options for your project.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In previous articles about the AUREL pedestrian protection laboratory, we introduced its facilities and capabilities. Now, let\u2019s focus on the core of these tests \u2013 the<span class=\"excerpt-hellip\"> [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3365,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3382","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3382"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3386,"href":"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3382\/revisions\/3386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.aurelcz.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}