Public Meeting Concerning Test Device for Human Occupant Restraint (THOR)

Nathaniel Beuse
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

19 July 2016

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 138 (Tuesday, July 19, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46999-47000]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16949]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2015-0119]


Public Meeting Concerning Test Device for Human Occupant 
Restraint (THOR)

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Announcement of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: NHTSA is announcing a public meeting to present the 
qualification and seating procedures for the Test Device for Human 
Occupant Restraint (THOR) 50th percentile male anthropomorphic test 
device (ATD). The meeting will include NHTSA presentations outlining 
the qualification and seating procedures the agency has been using and 
will provide opportunities for the attendees to ask questions on the 
technical aspects of the procedures.

DATES: NHTSA will hold the public meeting over two days. The first day 
will focus on seating procedures, and will begin at 9:00 a.m. and 
continue until 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 31, 2016. The second day 
will focus on qualification procedures, and will begin at 9:00 a.m. and 
continue until 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 1, 2016. Each day will 
include two sessions: First, a technical information session that will 
occur in a conference room; second, a practical session which will take 
place in a lab environment. The public technical meeting will be held 
at the location indicated in the ADDRESSES section below. Registration 
will be closed once the maximum capacity of 60 attendees is reached, or 
5 business days before the meeting, whichever comes first. Please 
submit all written comments no later than October 1, 2016.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Research and Test Center, 10820 
State Route 347--Bldg. 60, East Liberty, Ohio 43319.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you would like to attend the public 
meeting, please contact Dr. Kevin Moorhouse by the date specified under 
DATES, at: Office of Vehicle Safety Research, Applied Biomechanics 
Division, Vehicle Research and Test Center, 10820 State Route 347, East 
Liberty, OH 43319; telephone number: (937) 666-3283; email address: 
kevin.moorhouse@dot.gov (preferred method of registration). Please send 
your name, affiliation, phone number, email address, and any 
accommodations you may need, such as a sign language interpreter or 
translator.
    Written comments. You may submit comments to the docket number 
NHTSA-2015-0119 by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility: U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West 
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
docket number. Note that all comments received will be posted without 
change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided. Please see the Privacy Act discussion below.
    Docket: For access to the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov 
at any time or to 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays. Telephone: (202) 366-
9826.
    Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all 
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act

[[Page 47000]]

Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000, (Volume 
65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78) or you may visit http://www.dot.gov/privacy.html.
    Confidential Business Information: If you wish to submit 
information under a claim of confidentiality, you should submit two 
copies of your complete submission and one copy of the submission 
containing only the portions for which no claim of confidential 
treatment is made and from which those portions for which confidential 
treatment is claimed have been redacted, to the Office of Chief Counsel 
(NCC-100), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Room W41-
227, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. You should 
include a cover letter setting forth the information specified in our 
confidential business information regulation (49 CFR part 512). In 
addition, you should submit two copies from which you have redacted the 
claimed confidential business information to Docket Management at the 
address given above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Test Device for Human Occupant Restraint 
50th percentile male (THOR-50M) is an advanced anthropomorphic test 
device (ATD, or test dummy). It is designed to better represent the 
interaction of automotive occupants with modern and sophisticated 
restraint systems, such as force-limited three-point belts and air 
bags, which have become standard equipment. The purpose of this public 
meeting is to provide a demonstration of the qualification procedures 
and seating procedures for the THOR-50M ATD and answer questions that 
the public may have regarding the implementation of these procedures. 
Topics for discussion at the public meeting are limited to 
qualification procedures and seating procedures.
    Registration is required for all attendees. Please see registration 
instructions under DATES and FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Should it 
be necessary to cancel the public meeting due to inclement weather or 
any other emergencies, a decision to cancel will be made as soon as 
possible and emailed to the registered attendees. If you do not have 
access to email, you may call the contacts listed in this announcement 
and leave your telephone number and/or email address. You will be 
contacted only if the public meeting is postponed or canceled.
    Written comments can be submitted to the docket. See information 
under DATES and FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. The final agenda, as 
well as material presented at the public meeting, will be posted to the 
NHTSA Web site at http://www.nhtsa.gov/Research/Biomechanics+&+Trauma/THOR+50th+Male+ATD. The agenda will be posted one week prior to the 
public meeting. The public meeting will include NHTSA and NHTSA 
contractor presentations outlining the content and basis of the 
procedures, followed by a practical demonstration in a lab environment.
    Public Meeting Procedures: Because the meeting will be located in a 
lab environment, NHTSA requests that the number of those attending from 
each affiliation be limited to two (2). Once the maximum capacity of 60 
attendees is reached, registration will be closed. For security 
purposes, photo identification is required to enter NHTSA's Vehicle 
Research and Test Center.
    There will be an opportunity for attendees to ask NHTSA questions 
related to the technical aspects of the qualification and seating 
procedures.

Nathaniel Beuse,
Associate Administrator for Vehicle Safety Research.
[FR Doc. 2016-16949 Filed 7-18-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-59-P