Body Part Surrogates for Medicine, Comfort and Safety Applications

Abstract

Body part surrogates made with support from additive manufacturing (AM) technologies belong to a rapidly developing area of modeling. Although computer-based and mathematical modeling of complex processes is already an established field, these are not free from inherited problems. Surrogate modeling (physical modeling) being a subject of its own successfully complement mathematical and computer modeling and helps to cross-validate these methods and improve particular models. Present chapter provides a discussion on the general aspects of modeling relevant to the design, manufacturing and application of body part surrogates It also introduces new term ‘surrogate twins’ using the analogy of ‘virtual twins’. It also outlines a number of known applications of body part surrogates manufactured with support of AM in medicine, safety and comfort research. Strong and weak points of particular surrogate models is discussed basing on the general concepts of modeling including defining of particular surrogate model purposes, approximations, the ways of model validation, input parameter harvesting, related measurement systems and data processing, and setups for material and product testing. Comprehensive references will allow readers getting detailed information regarding discussed issues.