MOTORING NEWS - An interactive lifelike sculpture called Graham, the only "person" on earth designed to withstand a car collision, has been nominated for this year's Designs of the Year awards.
Commissioned last year by the Transport Accident Commission in Victoria, Australia, to demonstrate human vulnerability in traffic accidents, Graham was made by Melbourne artist Patricia Piccinini in collaboration with leading trauma surgeon Christian Kenfield and crash investigation expert dr David Logan.
Made from a combination of silicone, fibreglass, concrete, human hair and steel, Graham weighs in at approximately 200kg. His unusual enhanced physique imagines what humans might look like had we evolved to withstand low-impact car crashes.
His enlarged skull is filled with extra fluid and ligaments to protect the brain. His neck - one of the most vulnerable body parts in a collision - has been removed entirely. Sacks have been placed between each of his ribs to create "airbag-like" cushioning and extra joints in his legs allow him to jump out of the way quickly.
Cockfield said audience feedback showed that 99% of people who saw Graham at first hand or online believed that the human vulnerability message was important. A total of 77% said they reflected on their own fragility when thinking about road safety and viewing Graham.
Graham - designed by experts to demonstrate the vulnerability of humans in a traffic accident.
He was instrumental in starting conversations around the forces involved in common car-crash scenarios and highlighted just how vulnerable human bodies are to high speeds - a concept often complex and hard to communicate, said the commission.
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