(AICON: Braunschweig, Germany) -- A new interface for MoveInspect HR, a portable optical measurement system from AICON, a developer of standardized optical 3-D measurement systems, enables its use for free-motion head (FMH) form tests, which are used to determine and reduce the risk of acceleration-induced head injuries to car occupants early in the vehicle development phase.

Austrian company, Concept Tech GmbH, a developer and test service provider for vehicle safety, uses its FMH-Wizard software to conduct FMH tests. During the test, the various surfaces of a vehicle interior are shelled with a free-flying aluminum head (free-motion head form). Based on the measured acceleration, the severity of the expected head injuries can be calculated.

This unique interface between AICON’s measurement technology and Concept Tech’s FMH-Wizard software is particularly relevant for head-impact determination under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 201U, which specifies improved upper interior head-impact protection requirements.

To comply with the provision of FMVSS 201U, a variety of configurations and combinations must be measured and verified by the vehicle developers. MoveInspect HR and FMH-Wizard streamline the test process and provide accurate measurement results. The wizard guides the operator through the complex measurement procedure. All relevant measuring points on the vehicle, as specified by FMVSS 201U, are addressed by the software. The application of MoveInspect HR allows the user to tag these points and conduct the measurement.

Additionally, AICON’s newly developed software, Move 6D, supports the implementation of the FMH testing. This module enables the positioning of two or more rigid bodies to each other in six degrees of freedom, the controlling of their position, and the orientation in space are simplified. This is necessary to position the launch facility of the aluminum head relative to the vehicle during the FMH tests.