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MESSRING GmbH

„I am your contact for all matters regarding passive and active safety. I am happy to help you find the right product.“
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Industry Study: Validation for Child Presence Detection

Startseite Industry Study: Validation for Child Presence Detection

Child Presence Detection (CPD) systems are becoming an essential safety feature in modern vehicles. Radar-based in-cabin sensing must reliably detect even a quiet or sleeping child - arguably the most challenging real-world scenario.

Yet a fundamental question remained: how accurately do CPD test surrogates reflect the radar response of real children?

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Alex Kiendl / Public Relations and Regulation Manager

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From Assumption to Evidence

To answer this, MESSRING initiated a collaborative research project together with LMU Munich – Biomechanics and Accident Analysis Institute of Legal Medicine from LMU Munich, AUMOVIO SE, Embedded AI and AZT Automotive GmbH (Allianz Zentrum für Technik). The objective was clear: generate ethically approved, high-quality reference data from real children and directly compare it with measurements obtained from CPD surrogates.

All measurements were conducted under approval of the Ethics Committee of the LMU Medical Faculty. Children from three age groups – newborn/1-year-old, 2-3 years, and 5–6 years – were measured in age-appropriate child restraint systems. Testing took place both inside the vehicle and in a standardized multi-angle “stargate” validation setup. Two independent ultra-wideband radar systems were evaluated, ensuring technological diversity and industry relevance.

CPD Newborn Surrogate

Area of ​​application

Used for validating child presence detection systems by reproducing realistic newborn breathing motion and radar-representative signatures in line with Euro NCAP requirements.

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CPD 3-Year-Old Child Surrogate

Area of ​​application

Supports the validation of child presence detection in toddler seating configurations, enabling reliable assessment across different breathing rates, limb articulation in line with Euro NCAP requirements.

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CPD 6-Year-Old Child Surrogate

Area of ​​application

Designed for advanced validation of child presence detection testing in child and booster seats, combining articulated body parts with realistic breathing motion for robust, Euro NCAP–compliant testing.

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Engineered for Radar Precision

MESSRING CPD surrogates are purpose-built for radar-based validation. Their metal-free construction prevents electromagnetic interference within the measurement zone. The pneumatic system simulates realistic, age-specific breathing patterns, while optimized reflector and absorber elements ensure appropriate radar cross-section characteristics. Anthropometric scaling aligns with scientific data and Euro NCAP CPD requirements, enabling repeatable and standards-oriented testing across multiple sensor architectures.

Key Insights

The comparative analysis demonstrated that the MESSRING surrogates included in the study have radar reflective behavior that is comparable to those of real children. The signal strength showed similar spread over the different detection angles, both for real children and surrogates. In-vehicle measurements confirmed that surrogate performance remains robust across seating positions and system configurations.

Advancing Evidence-Based CPD Validation

This project represents one of the first ethically approved datasets directly linking surrogate-based CPD validation with real-world child measurements. By combining academic expertise, radar system development, and specialized surrogate engineering, the consortium has created a solid technical foundation for future CPD testing and refinement.

For OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, and validation laboratories, the outcome provides increased confidence in surrogate-based testing, reduced development risk, and alignment with evolving regulatory and NCAP requirements.