dts-2026Presentation/presentation_outline.md

Safety Testing Customer Showcase

DTS Internal Presentation - Ben (Application Engineer)

Duration: 45 minutes

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Presentation Outline (DRAFT v1)

Opening Hook (2-3 min)

• Compelling statistic: Lives saved by modern vehicle safety
• "Every data point we help capture contributes to this"

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Part 1: The Pioneers - History of Safety Testing (15-17 min)

A. The Dark Ages of Vehicle Safety (2 min)

• Pre-1950s: No seatbelts, rigid steering columns, no crumple zones
• Death rate statistics per mile driven vs. today

B. Col. John Stapp - The Fastest Man on Earth (4-5 min)

• The rocket sled experiments (1940s-1950s)
• Subjected himself to 46g deceleration
• Proved humans could survive higher forces than believed
• His advocacy for seatbelts and safety standards
• Video opportunity: Rocket sled footage

C. The Cadaver Pioneers (2-3 min)

• Early biomechanics research
• How we learned human tolerance to impact
• The ethical debates and contributions

D. Ralph Nader & "Unsafe at Any Speed" (1965) (3-4 min)

• The Corvair controversy
• Public awakening to automotive safety
• Birth of NHTSA (1970)
• The shift from "driver error" to "crashworthiness"

E. The Seatbelt Revolution (2-3 min)

• Nils Bohlin and Volvo's 3-point belt (1959)
• Volvo's decision to share the patent freely
• Resistance and eventual adoption/legislation

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Part 2: The Modern Safety Ecosystem (12-15 min)

A. Regulatory Bodies & Testing Programs (4-5 min)

• NHTSA - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS)
• IIHS - Insurance-funded independent testing
  • How IIHS changed the game with the small overlap test
  • The competitive pressure of ratings
• Euro NCAP and global NCAP programs
• Video opportunity: IIHS crash test footage

B. Types of Safety Testing Customers (5-6 min)

1. Government/Regulatory

   • NHTSA Vehicle Research & Test Center (Ohio)
   • Transport Canada
   • International equivalents

2. Academic/Research Institutions

   • Ohio State Injury Biomechanics Research Center
   • Wayne State University
   • University of Virginia Center for Applied Biomechanics
   • Wake Forest

3. Independent Test Labs

   • Calspan (Buffalo, NY)
   • MGA Research
   • Karco Engineering

4. OEM In-House Testing

   • GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda safety labs
   • The scale of their operations

5. Insurance Industry

   • IIHS (Highway Loss Data Institute)

6. Tier 1 Suppliers

   • Autoliv, ZF/TRW, Joyson Safety Systems
   • Restraint system development

C. The Economics of Safety Testing (3-4 min)

• What a crash test costs ($50K-$500K+)
• ATD (crash test dummy) pricing ($100K-$800K)
• Why data acquisition is critical investment
• The regulatory compliance vs. competitive advantage dynamic

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Part 3: What They're Testing & Why (8-10 min)

A. Crash Test Types (3-4 min)

• Frontal (full, offset, small overlap)
• Side impact (moving barrier, pole)
• Rear impact
• Rollover
• Pedestrian protection
• Video opportunity: Various test types montage

B. Beyond Automotive (2-3 min)

• Sports helmet testing (NFL, hockey, cycling)
• Military blast/ballistic protection
• Aerospace ejection seats
• Playground equipment
• Child car seats

C. The ATD (Crash Test Dummy) (2-3 min)

• Evolution from Sierra Sam to THOR
• Hybrid III family
• WorldSID
• Where DTS fits: the nervous system of the dummy

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Part 4: Impact & Inspiration (3-5 min)

A. The Numbers That Matter

• Traffic fatalities per 100M miles: 1970 vs today
• Estimated lives saved by specific technologies
• The hidden impact: injuries prevented, severities reduced

B. Our Role in the Ecosystem

• DTS equipment in virtually every major safety lab worldwide
• "When a researcher needs to know exactly what forces a human body experiences..."
• Light product mention: reliability, accuracy, trust

C. Closing

• Every test, every data point, every improvement
• "We're not just selling data acquisition - we're part of a system that saves lives"

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Research Needed

• Exact statistics on lives saved
• Col. Stapp biographical details and quotes
• IIHS small overlap test history and impact
• Crash test cost ranges (verify)
• ATD pricing (verify)
• Video clip sources
• Customer-specific stories (check with sales/marketing)

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Video Clip Candidates

1. Col. Stapp rocket sled (public domain?)
2. IIHS crash test compilation
3. Historical crash test footage (1950s-60s)
4. Modern NCAP test
5. Customer facility tour (if available)

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Notes

• Target: Mixed audience, varying knowledge levels
• Tone: Educational but inspiring
• Goal: Remind team who we serve and why it matters