Meet Thor, the latest safety hero

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Scania Group  /  September 13, 2016

He is as ugly as he is expensive. ‘Thor’ is the new-generation crash test dummy that played a crucial role in Scania’s development of the world’s safest trucks.

Each new Thor dummy costs as much as five new trucks, but contributes to saving more lives than any previous dummy. Scania is the first manufacturer of commercial vehicles in the world to use Thor in its safety work.

”One of the biggest advantages with Thor is that he’s built more like a human being than the ordinary crash-test dummies in use today,” says Dan Loftén, who is responsible for all crash tests for Scania’s new trucks.

Thor has more sensors in his body than other dummies, a body that can be turned sideways, and a more human torso featuring the same number of ribs as a real human being.

“Thor moves more like a human being during the crash, which is extremely important in our development work,” says Loftén. “The more human-like movement pattern and the advanced measurement-capabilities give us a better basis for our analysis and evaluations, which contributes to an even higher level of safety in the truck.”

Nor can any other crash test dummies measure injuries to the upper body as well as Thor. The dummy’s torso is constructed in a more human fashion, and even the force on each individual rib can be measured.

Thor also has a more human-like spine and pelvis, making it possible for the test dummy to adopt the four most common seating positions during testing. The spinal column is filled with sensors, accelerometers and other devices to measure the event, forces, and acceleration that the back is exposed to during a crash.

“He may not be the best-looking guy in town, but he is extremely valuable,” says Loftén. “Not only for us who are developing Scania’s new generation of trucks but also for all truck drivers and other road users!

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