Building my dangerous friend

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Did you know that Crash Test Dummies cost over a Million Dollars each? There seem to be only two companies that produce them, and they only make around 300 of them a year.
Most of the dummy is hand-made by people, I guess it’s probably not worth automating too much of the process since it’s quite a low volume production, and that would allow a faster development cycle too.
The dummies are generally designed to not break these days, so they are built much toucher than humans but packed with sensors to measure pressure, torque, acceleration and so on.
I’d really like to do some more dangerous things on KZbin but the videos will probably get demonitised. So I’m going to build a crash test dummy to do them for me instead.
I’m going to build it out of multiple materials, with some sensing, but also with some parts that are designed to be roughly the same strength as a human - it’ll look better on video if it gets smashed up won’t it.
CAD & Code: github.com/XRobots/CrashTest
Links from this video:
• Why These Crash Test D...
• The Mysterious Origins...
• Brass Eye Episode 2 Dr...
More about Cake: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brass_Eye
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Music for your KZbin videos: share.epidemicsound.com/xrobots
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CAD and Code for my projects: github.com/XRobots
Huge thanks to my Patrons, without whom my standard of living would drastically decline. Like, inside out-Farm Foods bag decline. Plus a very special shoutout to Lulzbot, Inc who keep me in LulzBot 3D printers and support me via Patreon.
HARDWARE/SOFTWARE
Below you can also find a lot of the typical tools, equipment and supplies used in my projects:
Filament from: www.3dfuel.com/
Lulzbot 3D Printers: bit.ly/2Sj6nil
Bearings from: simplybearings.co.uk/
Lincoln Electric Welder: bit.ly/2Rqhqos
CNC Router: bit.ly/2QdsNjt
Ryobi Tools: bit.ly/2RhArcD
Axminster Micro Lathe: bit.ly/2Sj6eeN
3D Printer Filament: bit.ly/2PdcdUu
Soldering Iron: bit.ly/2DrNWDR
Vectric CNC Software: bit.ly/2zxpZqv

[@BlameItOnGreg]

For Buster, the Mythbusters ended up not casting the rubber “muscles” directly on the wooden bones, but having a slit down the side of the rubber and holding it on with something like zip ties. With that approach, when one of the wooden bones breaks, they could easily swap out only the wood, and easily wrap the same rubber “muscle” around the new wood, without having to recast it.

[@mr.flamespider0524]

Buster has been through a lot

[@meribor]

Except they abandoned that model, too. This may have been when they settled on those ShockWatch force impact stickers

[@SuperPhunThyme9]

institutional knowledge schminschmishtustional schmowlege

[@ElectraFlarefire]

I suspect it's not a problem with bubbles in the pour, but the high temperature making water boil out of the plaster. The same thing happens when pouring metal into plaster molds and one of the reasons you have to bake them first.

[@aristotles-lantern]

this is exactly what happened - the wood will have released moisture too

[@benhockley]

You forgot the best part about War Thunder, you get people in the forums leaking classified documents to try and argue the game is unrealistic.

[@yasirrakhurrafat1142]

A mobile game that is not exactly representative of reality? Impossible!!

[@SKULLMAN9647]

War thunder isn't a mobile game sadly. I literally just had to go check make sure I hadn't missed something 😂

[@yasirrakhurrafat1142]

@@SKULLMAN9647 oh! I thought it was. It isn't a bad game.

[@LoganThatGuy]

DONT BUY THE ECONOMY SUCKS

[@digi3218]

It's a mobile game if you have a laptop lol

[@Hephera]

1:55 for a slightly nicer weld you shouldnt remove the torch immediately once youre done. keep the argon flowing over the weld for a second or two until it isnt glowing and it will oxidize less.

[@DeggaTheDev]

Lovely video as always. I can't wait to see what you come up with next. BTW, The dummy's name was "Buster" not "Dexter." It's even written in the footage you used. ^_^

[@Clever_Motel]

LMFAO I noticed this too. My bet is that he made that mistake intentionally to drive comments like yours and mine to promote engagement. It doesn't change the quality of content or our opinion of the creator, but its noticeable and annoying enough that dozens of people will point out the mistake. KZbin doesnt care about what the comments say, only that people are engaged with the video. Well done James Burton

[@integraBuff]

@@Clever_Motel Maybe James should name his dummy Dexter

[@BraxtonHoward]

I wonder if that was a "always put a minor mistake in your videos to drive engagement" type of mistake.

[@SullenSecret]

A "real" Mythbusters fan would know that. 😛

[@aaronhastie830]

The OG crash test dummy on mythbusters was named Dexter, but the future iterations were named Buster for the rest of the show.

[@erictheepic5019]

I love how unceremonious the fall at 21:45 was.

[@MissPlayAndWatch]

I don't know if it was engagement bait or if it was different in the British broadcast but Mythbusters dummy was definitely named Buster not Dexter... Buster's even written on him in the clip you used...

[@yoavallon]

Buster is derogatory in British slang, thus the dexter renaming

[@shaider1982]

The announcer was also different in the British version (I watched a clip on you tube)

[@1CM69]

I’m in the UK and watched all episodes of Mythbusters on The Discovery Channel on Sky, was definitely Buster, never heard of Dexter.

[@richardmilne]

I'm sure it was buster for both, Adam Savage talked about it in one of his recent Q&As on his tested channel. Talked about how they bought a second hand one and even that was ludicrously expensive, then they fabricated new parts for him as the seasons went on.

[@theshuman100]

​@@yoavallon i mean it technically is in american. but in goon kinda way

[@padoco73]

The specific wood they used was poplar. It had a virtually identical break point to the cadaver bones they tested for comparison.

[@nowymail]

Ballistic gelatin probably would work good. I think it's easier to work with, and is translucent, so bones would be visible.

[@BIGSMOKE-bl2lq]

You just look at it funny and its dirty and impossible to clean and i don't think it stays good for 2 long

[@JohnMeacham]

It rots though, it's perfect bacteria food.

400$ for 25kg, it's not exactly inexpensive: vinamold is 4 time cheaper.

[@JohnDlugosz]

@ you mean "$400"

@@JohnDlugosz No, cause I'm Canadian

[@DonsArtnGames]

9:00 The dummy's name was Buster, not Dexter...

[@Minty1337]

that seemed like such a weird mistake to make that I even looked up to see if it was a regional thing or something stupid, but no

[@aerolus]

@@Minty1337 it says "buster" on screen as hes saying it, but im sure he recorded it separately from adding that footage

[@AnimilesYT]

Now I'm curious where he got that name from. Was it a test dummy somewhere else? Or did he simply misremember it?

[@licencetoswill]

@@AnimilesYT possibly deliberate to promote comments. it'll definitely work

[@AnimilesYT]

@@licencetoswill That could be true. I have heard a couple content creators talk about that idea, and most of the people I follow dislike that concept a lot. When they make a mistake it really is a mistake. I expect James to hold a similar opinion on this, but I wouldn't be too surprised if he actually did it artificially increase engagement like that

[@matthewmccormick6643]

You should call your crash test dummy Dexter! I make this kind of mistake with names all the time. I had a habit of calling my friend's dog "Bear" when his name was "Teddy." He named his next dog "Bear" lol

[@grant0617]

He always gives one blatantly wrong fact per video to increase engagement. It's working lol

[@DrWhom]

My mum always calls my cat Emerson "Madison" - I toyed with the idea of naming the new kitten Madison, but thought it too cruel to mess with an old lady's mind like that.

[@meribor]

And I bet you called _that_ dog Teddy

[@AllDayBikes]

8:18 "...the face, witch we're going to come onto later" haha, my mind is ruined.

[@DavidMeggers]

“Oh you’ve made dinner for this evening, macaroni cheese, how lovely. A little rubbery don’t you think….” This was the last time James was allowed in the kitchen.

[@bretthavens9259]

I've seen model makers use a blowtorch to degas large shallow resin pours, it seems like it could be a good option since most of the bubbles rise to the top for you.

[@mdsign001]

Makes a crash test dummy from scratch in his workshop. Comments: its Buster not Dexter!

[@zombi3beach401]

Engagement bait

[@NicksStuff]

You could probably put your molds in the oven with solid Vinimold, let it melt and add a few chunks once the level has dropped

[@darreno9874]

Pushing your BFF of the roof was hilarious. Keep up the great work. God bless

[@lordofthe6string]

So a bit of caution here. I bought some Vinamold many years ago and can tell you it goes goopy and sticky after a while. I'm confident it will be fine for your use case though as I don't expect you are going to need it to last years, and it may get damaged during your tests anyway, But something to be aware of as an fyi. Great idea as always!

[@Volamek]

Wow, James! You've increased your making arsenal in a short amount of time. Your shop is looking great! Well done!

[@DonsArtnGames]

13:00 You can also use a pressure pot and squeeze the bubbles to negligible sizes.

[@danielf3623]

You can buy paste-on resistive strain gauges that can be individually calibrated and pasted to any metal (or plastic even if you get ones with more allowable strain) parts, which would make fitting them easier. A lot cheaper too!

[@heyitsthatdude17]

14:30 I like aerosol mold release for stuff like this, more than a rub on wax or something. Might help with the demolding. I suspect a high temp silicon mold might be better long term, with a plaster mother mold maybe. Would be more expensive but would hopefully last and give better results. Love the videos James!

[@samhale5413]

Now you can use the carpool lanes 😂

[@ExplainingComputers]

Great project and a really interesting video. Thanks James.

[@bondonneaulouis8649]

poor Buster RIP You have given us many unforgettable television moments over the years!

[@Patches33001]

Imagine walking outside in the morning and seeing your neighbor throwing a homemade crash dummy off his shed

[@Hooples]

8:20 “apart from the face, which we’ll be coming on to later” Phrasing, man!

[@ericshelley1463]

Would totally love to see a collaboration between you and Colin Furze on making and utilizing a crash test dummy!

[@AJ-Palermo]

I like seeing multiple different materials and techniques used in the same video

[@Smytjf11]

I look away for a few seconds and next thing I know James is claiming to be a Metal Bender. And there's visual proof. 2023.

[@NahNnii]

For working on a daily base with crash test dummies, that made me smile a lot 😅

[@eTiMaGo]

Next video: Modifying my crash-test dummy to walk autonomously :D

[@stuartmallett6334]

Hi James, I enjoy your videos, it's crazy to see how far you have come over the years, your picking up some new skills, well done.

[@paulbarry5730]

It's hard for me to comprehend what you do, but I really love it anyways. Anyways, thumbs up and ya got mine!

[@wellerweller1499]

An interesting idea would be to run the 4 bungees for the spine/neck around a rotary encoder in the belly, one each would allow you to know how far the neck moved in which direction digitally. Also more involved but you could do the same thing but with a small piece of stainless steel wire rope through each vetibrae and tell which moved how far, naturally they'd need a small spring incase of compression but could easily be done using inexpensive potentiometers and 3d printing.

[@jurjenbos228]

The pale colors of your LEGO face are just fitting for a dummy that will be doing very scary things all of the time.

[@SP4CEBAR]

you throwing the test dummy off the roof looked so dodgy, I couldn't hold my laughter

[@conorstewart2214]

SD cards tend not to like vibration and storing it after you press the button may not be a good idea, since you then have to store all of the data in RAM until you write it to the SD card. You could write it directly or you could have some kind of switching buffer, so you fill one buffer, switch to the other one and then write the whole buffer at once to the SD card.

[@magnuswootton6181]

crash test dummies have a cool aesthetic to em, making a robot around a crash dummy design would be the best.

[@sempersolus5511]

This is how James Brutons reproduce.

[@PyroRobo]

20:42 Had a bad day? Well here is your new best friend!

[@lordsqueak]

*adds James Bruton to the canary list of people who will be the first to indicate the robotic overlord takeover*

[@BUMP0H]

Just correct some information: Mythbusters test dummy was named Buster. Probably a dumb correction but I was taken back for a second and was like, “no, it wasn’t Dexter, it was Buster I’m sure.”

[@ChrisB...]

Was thinking maybe they renamed Buster in the UK? But how would they do that without overdubbing? Dexter, LOL.

[@CaptainXJ]

What I came to say.

[@MrSaemichlaus]

11:55 you came very close to preparing a pot of fondue! Try it with some fine alpine cheese next time :) greetings from Switzerland.

[@jcudejko]

16:11 This is really an incredible build so far! I'm fascinated by your ingenuity

[@maxineamelia7549]

I'm absolutely terrified of crashtest dummies, idk why I watched this just before bed 😂

[@stevenfaber3896]

TPU Sternum with a load cell in it, since just shoving it off the shed manipulated the ribs.

[@thegoldenaxe6830]

A million for a dummy. That’s surprising but makes sense at the same time

[@darth_dan8886]

The testing to make sure it's up to standard probably costs most of that sum.

[@DrWhom]

@@darth_dan8886 yes, true. also, the handcrafting means that a lot of skilled workers have to be kept on staff on an ongoing basis, whereas the output in units-per-year is low since demand is a specialised niche; therefore a relatively large portion of the per-unit cost is made up of the fixed costs of the manufacturer.

[@saisuapalli]

The video idea is actually really original! Great content

[@piratecheese13]

Mythbuster's dummy was Buster. you even included a shot where they have his name written on him

[@jamesbruton]

DEXTER

[@LizziePup]

I might try a pressure chamber/pot, not vacuum. It's faster, doesn't need the air to come out of the rubber, but will still remove any large pockets. It just compresses the bubbles down until they're practically a non-issue. That's how you do it with silicon anyway, since degassing something that thick can cause it all to bubble over just about any container you put it in.

[@Farmelle]

For the accelerometers, you may be better to aggregate the three values into a vector length as that would remove the weird negative data you were seeing and just give you the force seen at any point as a more general value. Could be more useful that the raw values?

[@PattysLab]

You could use a compressed air gun to release the molds just blow between the two halfes :)

[@brandonyoung-kemkes1128]

It was Buster.

[@adamreynolds3863]

"Weld onto my ribcage" has never been said before

[@jadersanches913]

Now you inside up a mountain and shot the puppet for down. This is for name of science.

[@fluffypinkpandas]

the flames of creation shine brightly with this channel, and prove prometheus was not mistaken to steal it for man

[@dingolovethrob]

I absolutely love this project. Firstly, building your own crash test dummy so you can get round any possible KZbin objections to you doing more dangerous things is just brilliant. Secondly, I'm not aware of any other open-source crash test dummies.... And the dummy's first outing, - a short flight off a roof, face down onto cardboard boxes broke both his knees and when you picked him up his legs completely fell off, which you ignored, because you had great accelerometer data. 🤣I love science. 😄 And his steel ribs bent! This is going to be so much fun. 😁 Thanks for a fantastic video.

[@amyshaw893]

No idea who Dexter is but buster was great. Also I nearly disrupted my office with laughter from it just face planting onto those boxes XD

[@johngrimble3050]

Looking forward to this stunt double in action!

[@KingofPotatoPeople]

I never thought I’d see Brass Eye references on this channel. Life is full of surprises!

[@beautifulsmall]

Love the channel and your use of more metal. Thats an amazing ...machine ? Two weeks, astounding . As the drills get bigger I hope you use some clamping. I bet you could print a column clamp like Safety Lock Down Clamp for Drill Press . for the spinal cord etc how about coolant feed tubes , 3/8 loc line. the mic goosneck looks spiral wound so wont snap back together, but as long as its easily replacable. Been casting some polyeurothane foams , soft , mid density and rigid, into HDPE mould that works well for epoxy and soft PU but the heavier foams just stick even with PTFE spray. Love to see new materiels tried out.

[@Samtagri]

9:00 BUSTER!!! The crash test dummy of the Mythbusters was cold Buster. You can even see it written on his leg in the shot.

[@sydnerd]

Please hug the dummy and look at the loadcell data :D

[@Monther369]

😂😂😂😂 Without any introductions, the man who made the doll shakes the doll's head as if he is spiteful and drops it from above 😂😂😂 Great video. Keep making videos like this, make and break, add some madness. I love you . I am from Saudi Arabia. I wish you all the best

[@Justin-gc5nt]

Great vid. If you need an idea, try and make a ladder that doesn't lean against a wall, but uses a gyroscope to keep it upright.

[@JCWren]

Replace the mouth with a curved up and curved down LED strip. Do some real-time analysis on the Teensy, set the up-turned mouth to green if it lived, the down-turned mouth to red if it died.

[@fischX]

Construction foam is a great cheap easy to use mold material and the mass can be increased with rubble

[@CrudeButEfficient]

Great version 1!

[@ScriptCoded]

Really like this printing montage with voice over rather than just music :)

[@darkshadowsx5949]

i want to see a crash test dummy bake a cake.

[@UbberMapper]

The latest crash test dummies cost over 1m but you can get a stripped down legacy model for around 100k....still expensive...but the 1m model is full of electronics and sensors.

[@Robb403]

That's impressive. But, a case of beer is usually enough to get someone to volunteer..... At least where I live.

[@madebyme757]

That push off the roof was priceless

[@MadScienceWorkshoppe]

I think I would have tried the mold with chunks of solid wax, then filled the gaps with melted wax. This can also be done to recycle silicone molds

[@breadboi3837]

if your nozzle is too big it can weeken your part on the layer lines so be careful on how thick you make your nozzle

[@ShawnChristopher10101]

I never thought throwing something other than my brothers off a shed would be so satisfying. Great job James.

[@jamest.5001]

I figured you would have made the arms and legs from a dense foam. And maybe flex seal coated it! Or used a rubbery a/b foam cast in molds!

[@jameshamaker9321]

Next step, is using it to speed test, a remote control go cart.

[@themakesmith4322]

Great video as always

[@smzubek]

Buster is probably rolling in his grave after being called Dexter.

[@ColinBennun]

I was thinking "Yes James, that looks like a block of cheddar" and then you went nuclear. ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

[@MattOGormanSmith]

Hot vacuum chamber? :) How about resistive heaters in the bones and moulds, or just make them thicker to have a higher heat capacity and preheat them in the oven (which would also drive off water as other commenters have said)? I was going to complain about the rigid steel spine but you're already onto that. A link to where you bought the Vinamold would be nice in the description. If you want unvulcanised rubber though, have you thought about latex ? That's cheap by the gallon but I don't know how long it'd take to dry out parts that bulky (and it would shrink of course)

[@TiagoTiagoT]

For the bubbles, perhaps you could vibrate the bubbles away while it's still liquid?

[@AidenRichards-tc3gw]

you should make the dummy fall off a 4-story flight of stairs

[@jamesbruton]

I have a better plan for the future

[@avejst]

Wow, Great project

[@JohnDlugosz]

Have you seen Mythbusters' "Buster 2.0 Special" ? They design and build a low-cost dummy. One thing, I recall, was using a specific piece of hardwood for the bones, thus matching the strength of human bones. It's easy and dramatic on-screen to see what's broken and where, and cheap & simple to replace. Also, they ended up using static shock stickers rather than complex sensors, for simplicity.

[@pepsi-man2826]

I love it. It reminds me of the Octopus Dance demonstrator from NintendoLand.

[@timsikora9356]

I suggest naming him Brutus!

[@rojnx9]

*makes a crash test dummy to not get demonetised* *decides to give the dummy guts that tear apart and spill everywhere in an injury*

[@Warrigt]

21:47 Is this really the time you want to start throwing robots off of roofs?

[@gamingMattR]

With how smart he has been making all of his bots - time for him to re-assert dominance. (If robots are reading this, /s)

[@juskim]

Nice! I think the flat buttocks need work but other than that, looks great :)

[@JohnJones-oy3md]

8:53 - I thought the dummy was named 'Buster'.

[@hblomqvist]

I'm interested to follow your research to make a video like this. Where you begin and where you end up.

[@Kalel_The_Protogen]

the dummy was almost perfect, up until he used the most fragile thing possible for the face

[@KnightsWithoutATable]

I think a thin PLA print of a face would be a better choice for the face since it could be rapidly replaced and would still function as an injury indicator.

[@xXMemuerOXx]

Have you seen the birdbot legs inspired in ostriches?, It seems to use only 2 servos and be very efficient, you should try to make your own version, like a velociraptor or something

[@willfancher9775]

So for that rubber mold stuff, you might try doing some kind of sous vide process to keep it from boiling and creating bubbles. Vacuum seal the stuff in bags and immerse them in water that's heated by a sous vide device (aka "immersion circulator") which will circulate the water to make the temperature consistent and raise its temperature to a precise level. That way you should be able to heat the rubber to a melting point without accidentally raising small portions to a boiling point (as long as its melting point is lower than water's boiling point, but maybe there's some other liquid that could do the job in that case?). No idea if that would work; just a thought I had.

[@JCWren]

Or maybe the manufacturer has some recommendations...

[@tomasmatuschek]

Great project, love it. And it's Buster, not Dexter (Mythbuster's dummy).

[@dumbtex6107]

give it a paintball gun!