LifeMOD in Court: Simulating a Motorcycle Crash
A motorcycle crashed at 50 miles per hour during a lane change maneuver. The rider, under the influence of alcohol, hit a pothole during the turn. Could an unimpaired rider have stabilized the motorcycle through the turn? Are the injuries being claimed legitimate?
A detailed mechanical model of a motorcycle was merged with a LifeMOD model of the rider. A control system was developed to allow the rider to stabilize the motorcycle through a lane change maneuver. Normal human reaction time delays were added to the control system. A disturbance was introduced into the system to simulate the front wheel of the motorcycle striking a pothole during the turn, resulting in a crash.
Two conditions were simulated: normal reaction time and an extended reaction time due to alcohol consumption. The cases were compared to determine the effect of the time delay. For the crash condition, impact forces to the body and joint forces were retrieved and compared against injury norms to determine the propensity for injury under these conditions.
The rider/motorcycle model provided additional evidence in a litigation case, regarding both fault for the crash and the claimed injuries.
Read the newsletter story, part 1.