Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt

The faster, the better.

This is also true for force measurement, since force is produced not only by mass but also by acceleration. In the case of a head-on collision, a water bottle placed on the hat rack flies through the car like a bullet and can cause severe head injury. This is why the car industry uses dummies to test its re-designs for their suitability to protect the passengers. The crucial parts of the dummy body are provided with force transducers which after a simulated accident accurately indicate the force having acted on them. The function of a dummy as force measuring device must be checked at regular intervals. For this purpose, most car manufacturers have established calibration la-boratories. The force machines they use are checked against a so-called transfer standard from the PTB, the dummy thus being traceable to the national force standard.