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Automobile Manufacturers to Introduce High-Tech Test Dummies

7 March 2000


    DETROIT, and WASHINGTON--The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and First 
Technology Safety Systems announced today the introduction of two advanced 
anthropomorphic test dummies that will be representative of a small adult 
female and a six-year old child.  FTSS produced the first prototype of OCATD5, 
a small adult female, in December 1999.  Alliance members are now evaluating 
the prototype version of the small adult female with final versions to be 
delivered in April.

    "These high-tech test dummies will help improve air bag safety for a broad
range of occupants," said Josephine S. Cooper, president of the Alliance.
"Safety for occupants of all sizes is a fundamental concern of the auto
industry.  These test devices will serve as vital tools for developing and
validating seat-based weight pattern sensors used in advanced air bag
systems," said Cooper.

    "This project would not be possible without the support and engineering
expertise from the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and its members," says
Tom Gutwald, president of FTSS.

    The Occupant Classification Anthropomorphic Test Devices(TM) (OCATD) being
designed by FTSS will produce a human-like weight distribution on the seating
surface.  Occupant Classification (OC) is a developing science driven by the
need to suppress or modify the deployment of an air bag depending on the size
of the seat occupant.

    "Essentially, the air bag systems have to distinguish between an adult and
a child," says Steve Moss, Technical Director of FTSS. "The challenge for us
is to develop surrogates for humans that accurately characterize the human
features used by these OC sensors."

    FTSS has contracted with the University of Michigan Transportation
Research Institute to develop new anthropometry databases based on weight
patterns and skeletal and body surfaces.  Future products include test dummies
that are representative of a ten-year old and a mid-size male.

    OCATD is based on the LifeForm(TM) occupant simulator, developed by Lear
Corporation and FTSS in 1998 and 1999 under Lear's Bio-Fidelic Seating
Surrogate Testing Initiative, to create a more life-like device for seat
durability tests.  Sensors in the seat detect a pressure pattern created by
the occupant, which can distinguish between an adult and a child or between a
human and a non-human object.

    The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is a coalition of car and light
truck manufacturers.  It was formed in January 1999 and serves as a leading
advocacy group for the automobile industry on public policy matters.  Alliance
member companies have approximately 600,000 employees in the United States,
with more than 250 facilities in 35 states.  Alliance members represent more
than 90 percent of U.S. vehicle sales.  Information about the Alliance can be
found at http://www.autoalliance.org.

    First Technology (FT) is an International Group quoted on the London Stock
Exchange with a market capitalization of $500 million.  FT specializes in the
automotive industry in the fields of sensing, safety and comfort.  First
Technology Safety Systems (FTSS), a subsidiary of FT PLC, was founded in 1988
and is the world's largest creator of sophisticated crash test dummies and
computer crash simulation models and supporting services.  Information about
First Technology is available at http://www.firsttech.co.uk.  First Technology Safety
Systems can be found at http://www.ftss.com.