Honda is just full of dummies; but now they've built a smarter one. Called the POLAR III, the new dummy is outfitted with sensors to test pedestrian safety in crashes, including added sensors around the lower back and waist to prevent injuries from taller vehicles like SUVs.
In 1998 Honda was the first automaker to develop a test dummy for the specific purpose of preventing injuries to pedestrians in vehicle-to-pedestrian collisions. In 2000 they developed the Polar II, which improved the duplication of the human body's kinematics in areas like the neck, head, and knees - the areas most commonly affected in accidents involving a pedestrian.
Since Honda implemented this program in 1998, the automaker has been changing the shape and build of its automobiles accordingly to help mitigate injuries in accidents. More and more of its models have been adapted using this technology, to the point where all of their models sold in Japan are modified by these pedestrian tests. With the POLAR III Honda is pushing forward with greater vehicle safety.