Case Study: Wake Forest University School of Medicine achieves a detailed virtual crash-test human model for injury prediction with Materialise's Mimics Innovation Suite

The Ultimate Virtual Crash Test Dummy

Wake Forest University School of Medicine needed a highly detailed, whole‑body CAD and finite element model to improve injury prediction, anatomical instruction, and ergonomics studies, but no single imaging modality provided all required data. To build a 50th‑percentile male seated model from multi‑modality scans (CT, MRI, laser) and varied postures, the team relied on Materialise’s Mimics Innovation Suite to handle the complex segmentation, alignment and assembly tasks.

Using Materialise’s Mimics Innovation Suite, the researchers segmented and merged supine and upright scan data, converted anatomy into NURBS CAD geometry, and prepared watertight, G1‑continuous structures optimized for FEA/CFD. The final M50 model contains 410 components (179 bones), with detailed tissue breakdowns (9.1% bone, 13.0% organs, 21.7% muscle) and is certified for numerical simulation and injury prediction, providing a reusable reference for the average male and an adaptable imaging protocol for other body sizes.

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

F.S. Gayzik

Wake Forest University School of Medicine