Toyota offers free access to THUMS Virtual Human Body Model software

GREATER use of THUMS for analysis of vehicle collision-related injuries to enhance vehicle safety.

Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) announced today that it will make its Total Human Model for Safety (THUMS) s

oftware freely available from January 2021 as part of its efforts toward a safe mobility society. THUMS is a virtual human body model software program for computer analysis of human body injuries caused in vehicle collisions. Free access to THUMS, and subsequent use by a wider variety of users, is expected to enhance vehicle safety.

Designed to aid vehicle safety technologies’ research and development, and developed in cooperation with Toyota Central R&D Labs., Inc., THUMS was the world’s first virtual human body model software when it launched in 2000. It enabled simulation and analysis of injuries caused in vehicle collisions. Since then, and up until the latest Version 6 was released last year, it has continually evolved to add a range of models with different genders, ages and physiques that include skeletal structures, brains, internal organs, and muscles. Compared to the physical crash dummies commonly used in vehicle collision tests, THUMS is able to analyse collision-related injuries in more detail, because it precisely models the shapes and durability of human bodies. Conducting simulations on computers also enables repeated analysis of a range of different collision patterns, while it can dramatically reduce development lead times and costs associated with collision testing.

Commenting on the announcement Steve Tormey, CEO of Toyota Ireland said, ‘Toyota consistently leads from the front when it comes to improving the future outlook and wellbeing of both our planet and its inhabitants. Today’s announcement, along with the provision of royalty-free licenses on nearly 24,000 patents for vehicle electrification-related technologies that we announced last year, are just two examples of our Built for a Better World brand promise coming to life in innovative and demonstrable ways.

‘We see the free access to THUMS to all vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, academics and others as being vitally important and underpins our relentless intention to holistically improve motor safety for all.’