Local Company Introduces Next-Generation Crash Test Dog ‘Dummy’ for Pet Safety Research

Pasadena-based Sleepypod announced on Monday the expansion of its family of proprietary crash test pets with the addition of two next-generation crash test dog ‘dummies.’.

The new additions, named DASH 1.0 and DUKE 3.0, join nine crash test dog and cat ‘dummies’ that were designed and built in-house by Sleepypod’s research and development team to create safer pet products. See Sleepypod’s crash test pets at sleepypod.com/pages/research.

“Crash test pets are critical for testing Sleepypod’s car safety restraints throughout the product design process so that we can expose possible flaws that could compromise the safety of a pet in a car crash,” said Michael Leung, Sleepypod co-founder and lead product designer. “Sleepypod’s crash test pets take the hard knocks in crash-testing as part of Sleepypod’s Safety Test Program to help keep pets and the humans who ride with them safer in cars.”

DASH 1.0 is the first Sleepypod crash test dummy that represents the distinctive sighthound dog shape, with long legs, a deep chest, a wiry body, and a lean head. The dummy’s weight is evenly distributed and adaptable from 75 to 90 pounds, and its steel skeleton features an articulated waist and legs that flex. DASH 1.0 is equipped with a point-of-view camera in its neck to record crash test footage and a g-force sensor to record the overall pressure on the dummy in a collision. 

A DASH 1.0 Sleepypod product design crash-test is viewable at sleepypod.info/DASH1. 

DUKE 3.0, the third Sleepypod crash test dummy representing a German Shepherd dog, also has an evenly distributed weight that is adaptable from 75 to 90 pounds and a steel skeleton with an articulating waist and legs. The main difference between DUKE 3.0 and its 2.0 predecessor is the instrumentation used to measure the force on the crash test dog during a collision. While DUKE 2.0 used load cells to measure the compression on its chest, DUKE 3.0 is equipped with a g-force sensor to record the overall pressure on the dummy. 

To watch a DUKE 3.0 crash-test, go to sleepypod.info/DUKE3. 

Sleepypod has been setting new standards for pet product safety and design since the introduction of its innovative Sleepypod mobile pet bed in 2006. Visually bold and intuitive, the Sleepypod, made from durable, high-quality materials, set a new standard for pet products to include safety testing. 

A company statement said Sleepypod’s commitment to safety extends to the materials used in its products, such as the BPA-free silicone in its Yummy Travel Bowls, and the rigorous crash-testing of its entire carrier and car harness lines at U.S., Canadian, and E.U. child safety seat standards. Today, Sleepypod products continue to set the high bar for pet product safety and design, with the company devoting careful and caring attention to each detail in every product.

For more information, visit https://sleepypod.com/.