The Department of Transportation recently unveiled a significant advancement in vehicle safety with the approval of its first advanced female crash-test dummy, named THOR-05F. Announced on Thursday, November 25, 2025, this new dummy is specifically designed to address long-standing gaps in car safety for women. The agency's objective is to utilize THOR-05F to gain a deeper understanding of how critical safety components like airbags, seat belts, and vehicle structures interact with the female body during a collision, thereby informing the development of safer regulations and automotive designs.

The introduction of THOR-05F marks a crucial departure from previous methodologies, which largely relied on the Hybrid III model developed in the late 1970s. The Hybrid III dummy, based on a 5-foot-9, 171-pound man, has been the standard for modern crash testing. As a direct or indirect consequence of this male-centric design, women are reportedly 73 percent more likely to suffer injuries and 17 percent more likely to be killed than men in car accidents.

THOR-05F is meticulously based on the female anatomy and tailored for frontal crash test applications. It represents a fifth-percentile female body, indicative of a smaller individual, and boasts a significantly more sophisticated sensor system, incorporating three times as many sensors as the Hybrid III model. Beyond the increased sensor count, THOR-05F's design ensures it is appropriately shaped, sized, and capable of responding to crash forces in a manner that accurately simulates how female bodies behave.

Key anatomical improvements in the THOR-05F over the female Hybrid III model are extensive. Its neck is engineered to bend with human-like flexibility across multiple axes (forward, backward, twist, side to side), a considerable upgrade from its predecessor. The spine also offers human-like flexibility, capable of mimicking postures from slouched to erect. The thorax is enhanced to display chest deflection at four distinct locations, compared to just one in the Hybrid III. Furthermore, THOR-05F's legs measure ankle motion in addition to thigh, knee, and shin forces, providing a more comprehensive injury assessment. Unique to THOR-05F, it also includes sensors in the abdomen, pelvis, and arms to measure applied pressure and forces, areas where the Hybrid III offers no data.

Advocates and regulators have been calling for appropriate female crash-test dummies since 1980. However, it wasn't until 2003 that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) introduced a "female" version of the Hybrid III. This earlier attempt was merely a scaled-down version of the male dummy with breasts attached, failing to adequately represent the distinct anatomical and biomechanical characteristics of the female body. The THOR-05F represents a long-awaited and vital step towards achieving more equitable and effective car safety for all occupants.