SLED Laboratory for Automotive Safety and Rehabilitation Biomechanics

The Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) is in a unique position to study automotive safety biomechanics in human volunteers of any age so that knowledge gained can inform the design of vehicle countermeasures to keep vehicle occupants safe. CIRP is the home of the one-of-a-kind CHOP SLED Lab located on Drexel University's campus. The SLED Lab hosted the first human volunteer sleds able to mimic on road vehicle impact-avoidance maneuvers.

In the SLED Laboratory, Dr. Valentina Graci's research focuses on the study of human motion across the life span in several injury prevention arenas, including impact biomechanics and motor vehicle pre-impact maneuvers, age-related falls and near fall scenarios, and the influence on human motion of advanced in-vehicle technology in current and future vehicles. In particular, the SLED LAB is currently investigating the rise of advanced in-vehicle technologies such as Automatic Emergency Breaking (AEB) and pedestrian AEB. 

This line of research is important as AEB is designed with the aim to avoid a collision with another vehicle or a pedestrian. Dr. Graci’s research is the first to focus on the effect of AEB on the motion of vehicle occupants to ensure that the braking deceleration of AEB is safe and advantageous for all involved (i.e., individuals of any age and sex outside and inside the vehicle). 

The findings from this research can inform future regulatory standards for AEB in vehicles that both ensure the effectiveness of AEB in stopping successfully without contacting obstacles and place vehicle occupants in the most advantageous position within the seat belt, with a special focus on pediatric occupants and booster seated children.