GM's new crash test dummies transmit data 10,000 times a second

General Motors said on Wednesday that it was using new crash test dummies that work at "hyper speed," recording and transmitting data 10,000 times a second.

Two-hundred dummies in all shapes and sizes are deployed at GM's Anthropomorphic Test Device lab, each wired with 70 to 80 sensors that detect how much and what kind of force is endured during a crash.

They're no joke: the price tag for the most sophisticated dummy model is upward of half a million dollars.

Then, engineers crunch the data from both the physical tests and simulations to better understand how a new vehicle, its safety systems and occupants respond -- then take that insight and turn it around to improve them.

"The more realistic the dummy, the more accurate the test results," said GM safety engineer Jack Jensen in a statement.

The first car to receive improvements from the new dummies? The 2011 Buick Regal.

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com