News

With our biofidelic deer dummy, we offer an innovative solution for the realistic investigation of wildlife collisions as well as for the development and evaluation of modern detection systems. The anatomically designed body with biofidelic properties enables realistic testing for vehicle development, sensor technology, and safety systems.

Especially in the field of fawn detection in agriculture realistic test objects are becoming increasingly important. Our deer dummy supports manufacturers, research institutions, and developers in advancing detection systems for fawns on mowing machines and agricultural vehicles under realistic conditions, helping to sustainably improve wildlife protection.

Together with the Johanniter-Akademie NRW and the Rescue Dome Münster, we have launched a new hands-on training format for aspiring paramedics. Around 50 trainees took part in the first joint event at the CTS site in Münster. The program combined expert lectures on accident scenarios, modern vehicle technology, and tactical emergency medicine with a live crash test and a realistic rescue exercise.

A particular highlight was the practical emergency simulation: together with Rescue Dome personnel, participants carried out a rescue operation under near-real conditions – including casualty actors and an authentic accident scenario.

The day was rounded off with insights into the CTS dummy laboratory, where highly realistic training dummies are developed and analyzed. The Rescue Dome also provided a впечатление of modern emergency training with special conditions such as darkness, fog, and simulated background noise.

Last week, Peter Schimmelpfennig visited Intertraffic in Amsterdam, exploring the latest developments in traffic and safety technology. He visited 58 booths, connecting with long-standing partners, loyal customers, and exciting new contacts. Topics ranged from guardrails and TMAs to lighting poles, guidance and warning beacons, anti-terror bollards, and high-security gates.

The many innovative projects discussed prove that the economic outlook is far from as gloomy as it is often perceived. Together with our partners, we are continuing our work with full momentum, right where we started at the beginning of the year.

Another key takeaway for new partners: companies planning to launch products in Europe often prefer our testing facility in Germany, as authorities consult the CTS-VSB list of successfully tested systems when approving products for their markets.

A big thank you to everyone for the inspiring conversations and great exchange!

Paul Swan (Swan Rescue) and Peter Schimmelpfennig (CTS) have established a strategic cooperation to advance modern technical rescue training. The objective is to combine real-world crash engineering expertise with high-level, operationally focused rescue training delivered to international standards.

Under the joint umbrella of the new Rescue Dome, a unique training platform is being created that integrates real crash tests with complex emergency response scenarios. The 40,000 m² crash test facility allows for highly realistic and fully customizable training environments.

Key training features include:

• Real crash tests forming the basis of tactical and technical rescue scenarios
• A collapsed building structure for urban search and rescue simulations
• Multi-vehicle pile-up scenarios in motorway construction zones conducted in darkness and simulated rain
• Individually designed stations covering nearly all rescue situations
• The integration of the advanced Biofidel Dummy for realistic injury simulation and performance optimization

All training programs are led by Paul Swan and combine cutting-edge methodology with maximum operational relevance. State-of-the-art rescue equipment from leading manufacturers is used throughout, including:

• LUKAS Hydraulik
• Vetter
• Makita
• Paratech

With this cooperation, CTS and Swan Rescue are setting new benchmarks in realistic training, operational readiness, and innovation in modern fire and rescue services.

We are expanding our existing biofidel dummy concept for military purposes by integrating transparent soft-tissue materials. The material used is based on the mechanical strength and biofidel properties of our proven dummy design. 

Thanks to the transparency of the soft tissue, fragment penetration, bullet paths, and fragment trajectories in military injury scenarios can be directly observed visually. This enables immediate analysis of penetration depth, trajectory, and interaction with surrounding structures without the need for additional imaging techniques.

The solution is intended exclusively for military research, development, and testing and allows for improved evaluation of protection systems, weapon effects, and injury mechanisms under realistic conditions.

The trade fair provided us with a concise overview of the latest developments in access protection, innovative event formats, and technological innovations in the industry.

The presentations on the Safety & Security Stage were particularly valuable, offering practical insights into the application of tested crash barriers according to DIN ISO 22343-1 and DIN SPEC 91414-1.

The corresponding standard crash tests can be planned and conducted with us.
Feel free to contact us:

Standard Crash-Tests

Last week, at IAV’s crash test facility in Großmehring, the first crash test with a breakable biofidelic dummy was successfully conducted. This high-speed crash test focuses specifically on potential injuries to the driver. 

After the test, the dummy was transported back to CTS and is being thoroughly examined in the specially equipped autopsy lab for possible fractures and crush injuries. 

We sincerely thank Dr. Burkhard Scholz, Erik Pechthold, and Henrik Liers (VUFO) for the constructive collaboration. 

CTS once again confirms, without any deviations, its competence as a testing laboratory for the testing of road restraint systems, support structures for road equipment, access barriers, and safety devices at roadworks.

In addition, the flexible accreditation has been converted to the new category designation. CTS is now flexibly accredited according to the new Categories A and B.

Due to the flexible accreditation in Category B, we are able — within the testing scopes specified above and without the need for prior notification to or approval from DAkkS — to freely select standardized test methods or test methods considered equivalent (with the exception of EN 1317).

Realistic Training for Firefighters, THW, and Armed Forces

We are excited to introduce the new Rescue Dome at crashtest-service (CTS) – a state-of-the-art training facility designed for firefighters, THW, and the armed forces. The Rescue Dome allows highly realistic rescue and recovery scenarios to be practiced under safe, controlled conditions.
From complex vehicle accidents and building collapses to water rescues and technical assistance operations, the Rescue Dome provides teams with practical, hands-on experience in challenging environments.

A key highlight: Our training partner Paul van der Zwaan and his Team, an internationally recognized instructor and specialist in technical rescue (Lukas Rescue Team) , collaborates with our team to ensure the highest level of professional training.

The Rescue Dome offers:
Realistic scenarios with actual vehicles and damage simulations
Cutting-edge technical rescue equipment
Workshops and training programs for units of any size
Expert guidance and customized training concepts

Interested organizations can book training sessions now:
event@crashtest-service.com or +49 2506 70 99 070.

This year, CTS has seen a marked rise in the use of our biofidelic dummies in military contexts. 

Their realistic replication of human tissue and bones makes them ideal for tests under lifelike conditions — whether for evaluating protective equipment, ballistic materials, or operational scenarios.
Our biofidelic dummies help to better understand injury risks and improve protective systems in a targeted way, making a crucial contribution to the safety of personnel in the field. 

We are grateful for the trust of our partners and proud that our technology contributes to the advancement of modern protection concepts.

Defence Dummys

Crashtest-Service (CTS) has opened a new autopsy laboratory that brings all analyses together in one location. The laboratory offers both manual autopsies and X-ray examinations, providing detailed insights into accident mechanisms and damage patterns. With this facility, CTS strengthens its expertise in safety research and delivers practical, well-founded results to its clients. “Our goal is to gain targeted insights for accident research and safety development,” explains the CTS team. The laboratory is now available for internal analyses as well as client projects.

See the full Video on Youtube:

VIDEO

Professionally, he smashes cars and builds silicone chickens for turbine tests: Peter Schimmelpfennig runs Germany’s largest private crash-test center. We paid him a visit.

An interview by Dagny Lüdemann
Photography: Max Slobodda

Article "DIE ZEIT"

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics EMI use X-ray diagnostics in crash tests to visualise the behaviour of internal structures during an impact. At the 5th Dummy Crash Test Conference in Münster, 2 - 3 July 2025, they presented the first public X-ray crash test.
 

A crash lasts only 0.1 seconds, but the consequences are often severe. Even at 27 km/h, serious or fatal injuries can occur, as the impact forces act directly on the occupants while vehicle parts deform. For decades, industry and research have been working to increase the safety of occupants. This also includes understanding the complex processes inside a vehicle during a crash.

The Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed-Dynamics EMI uses the X-CC method (X-ray-Car Crash) for this purpose — a short-term X-ray technology that makes high-dynamic deformation processes visible under crash conditions. At the Dummy Crash Test Conference, Fraunhofer researchers publicly demonstrated the creation of such X-ray images for the first time. In a live test, a car collided with a pole at a speed of 27 km/h. The X-ray images showed how the vehicle structures deformed and how and when the internal structures interacted. (Text: Freunhofer EMI)
 

Fraunhofer EMI

VIDEO SWR

Our biofidelic dummy has been specially adapted for American football – designed to deliver realistic, repeatable data on head and shoulder impacts. As both a testing tool and training partner, it provides objective measurements of accelerations during collisions.

This opens up new development opportunities for helmet and protective gear manufacturers, enabling targeted improvements based on real-world impact scenarios.

A major step forward in player safety and product development.

Video

We look forward to collaborating with teams, federations, and equipment developers worldwide.

This year's Vehicle.Security.Barrier.Conference featured a diverse program of expert presentations and practical demonstrations at the CTS test site, offering exciting insights into the planning, application, and operation of modern vehicle security barriers.

Special thanks go to the BTU Cottbus – especially to Mr. Detlev Schürmann and Mr. Christian Weicht – for the excellent organization and implementation of this informative and practical event at our crash test facility.

Watch WDR report

Conventional dummies such as the Hybrid-III are stable, sensor-equipped bodies that contribute to increased vehicle safety, but are primarily designed for use as a passenger. With the biofidelic dummy, CTS and HTW have created an innovative development tool that impresses with bone and tissue strength similar to that of the human body. This allows likely human injuries to be realistically simulated in a wide variety of application scenarios within automotive technology and beyond.

The dynamic behavior of a conventional biofidelic dummy during collisions or falls approximates that of an unconscious or deceased person, which can lead to differences in the damage pattern in certain scenarios. For this application, the consortium, in collaboration with the WWU Münster, developed a biofidelic dummy with passive and active muscles. The first step involved equipping the cervical spine with muscles, as this area is particularly susceptible to critical injuries and is frequently the subject of legal disputes.

The result of this development is a dummy that exhibits realistic body tension and authentic movement patterns in crash situations. This allows injury patterns to be analyzed even more precisely and vehicle safety measures to be further optimized.

This week, CTS personally welcomed Jochen Lehmkuhl, who received the first PRIMUS Breakable Biofidelic Dummy for Lehmkuhl Expert Office. After the dummy has already been successfully used for reconstruction in complex cases, the company is now further expanding its expertise in this area.

AS/NZS 3845.2:2017 "Road safety barrier systems and devices Part 2: Road safety devices."
AS/NZS 3845.2, together with MASH 2016, offers the opportunity to market its products in Australia and New Zealand.

Please contact us to have your products tested this year.

The 5th Dummy.Crashtest.Conference is aimed at professionals working in the fields of crash tests, dummies, and measurement technology. This event is particularly relevant for the automotive and supplier industry, the aerospace industry, research institutes, safety equipment providers, accident researchers, engineers, and military research. It offers valuable insights for these sectors.

A key focus of the conference is the use of dummies, which were specifically designed for standardized crash tests to collect reproducible data and enable comparability across different tests. An example of this is the THOR-50M dummy, developed by Kistler and produced at their Heidelberg site. 
The PRIMUS dummy presents an exciting alternative, particularly in areas such as vibration tests, autonomous driving, and the airbag industry. In a special workshop, the PRIMUS biofidelic dummy will be introduced – a groundbreaking model that, thanks to its design, materials, and human-like behavior, represents a true revolution in dummy technology.

Additionally, the conference will feature presentations on dummy development and production, crash measurement technology, barrier solutions, and software for data collection and analysis. The event will also include practical real-world tests on the crash test facility.

A special highlight: In addition to the side collision with the ERNST barrier, a live X-ray crash test against a tree barrier will be conducted for the first time in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute EMI – a unique opportunity to witness the latest advancements in crash test technology.