Crash Dummies: A Macabre Origin StoryHow a grim secret in auto safety testing saved lives.

From the show

The Secret Life of Objects

The development of the crash test dummy has a dark and unsettling history. Before these iconic figures, car manufacturers relied on a controversial source for their safety data: human cadavers. This is the story of Samuel Alderson, the physicist who was tasked with creating a standardized, reusable alternative, and in doing so, revolutionized how we protect ourselves on the road.