Meet Graham the deformed man who has super-human powers

MAN capable of surviving a car crash is being used to teach us about road safety.

By Dave Snelling                     

SUPERPOWERS: Graham is capable of surviving a car crash

He might appear strange but this is how humans would look if they'd been designed to survive a car crash.

Graham has been created by the Transport Accident Commission to show just how vulnerable our bodies our when involved in an road traffic accident.

As part of their "Toward Zero" road safety campaign, Graham shows us what we might look like if we were built to survive on our busy roads.

After months of research by a leading trauma surgeon and a car crash investigator Graham was finally created by acclaimed artist Patricia Piccinini.

And here's why he looks like he does.

And here's why he looks like he does.

        

HEAD: Graham’s skull has been engineered to absorb more of the impact earlier

To start with Graham’s skull has been engineered to absorb more of the impact earlier, much like a helmet.

The structure of his skull is larger with inbuilt crumple zones to absorb any impact forces from a car's windscreen.

The crumple zones aid in slowing down the momentum of his head as it moves forward on impact and increases his skull’s ability to stop the force from continuing through to damage his brain.

Graham’s brain is also protected by a much bigger skull with more cerebrospinal fluid and ligaments to brace the brain when a collision occurs.

        

SURVIVE: Fatty tissue has been added around protruding areas like his cheekbones

To help avoid injury his nose is reduced and his ears are protected by the larger structure of his skull and neck.

Fatty tissue has been added around protruding areas like his cheekbones to help further absorb the energy on impact.

Graham has also been designed with stronger ribs to give him better protection in a crash.

His chest is large and barrel-like to withstand greater impacts. However, his torso is more airbag-like than armour-like.

Sacks, that do a similar job to that of an airbag, have been placed between each of Graham’s ribs.

On impact these airbags absorb the force and reduce his forward momentum. The airbags provide an inbuilt added layer of protection for the heart and other vital organs.

LEGS: Injuries to the legs, feet and ankles can cause long-term debilitation

Injuries to the legs, feet and ankles can cause long-term debilitation because we are so reliant on them for everyday movement.

The shin itself is the least protected bone in the body, with only a thin layer of skin covering it.

Graham has an inbuilt defence to help avoid these situations altogether. Strong, hoof-like legs with added joints allow him to jump out of the way quickly in a “spring-loaded” fashion.

Speaking about Graham TAC's chief executive officer Joe Calafiore said: "Cars have evolved a lot faster than humans and Graham helps us understand why we need to improve every aspect of our roads system to protect ourselves from our own mistakes," 

"People can survive running at full pace into a wall but when you’re talking about collisions involving vehicles, the speeds are faster, the forces are greater and the chances of survival are much slimmer,"