When I reflect on what defines Humanetics, I always come back to a simple belief: progress only matters if it protects people. This vision has guided our company for decades and, in 2026, it feels more important than ever.
However, progress is not just about surviving impact. It is about understanding the needs of our customers, our colleagues and humans more broadly - with all our complexity – to ensure we design vehicles, workplaces, technologies and solutions that genuinely advance human well-being.
I am incredibly proud of the role Humanetics is playing in advancing more inclusive physical and simulated crash testing and, in so doing, improving the safety and well-being of women worldwide. We also have developed adaptable digital human body models that represent occupants of all shapes and sizes. As we engage in the serious task of teaching Artificial Intelligence how to do the “right thing”, we should remind ourselves that we still have unfinished work in the physical, human world. Since the 1970s, Safety Regulations have been structurally biased to benefit men above women. We know the consequences of that approach: women face a higher risk of injury in vehicle crashes, and that gap has persisted for far too long. While Europe and Asia have now committed to address that gap by adopting new regulations in 2029, in the US there are still no committed dates for mandatory requirements. That must change.
Our mission extends well beyond crash safety. Our human-centered thinking guides our work in ergonomics, industrial design, aerospace, and critical environments to ensure that the world is designed for every BODY. Our sophisticated fiber optics and force sensors allow us to capture data with greater accuracy and relevance than ever before. Better data leads to better insight, and better insight leads to better design.
Most of the people whose lives are influenced by our work will never know our name. What they will know is that their vehicles are safer, their workplaces are better designed, their medical and industrial systems are more precise, and their environments better support their well-being. That is the outcome that matters. This is what we mean when we talk about Safety and Sensor Intelligence. It is the integration of real-world data and biofidelic technologies that act as surrogates for the human body, transforming complex information into actionable insight.
I want to thank our teams around the world for the expertise, integrity and care you bring to this mission every day. Your work is technical, rigorous and complex, but it is also deeply human. As we move through 2026, let’s continue to design for every BODY, advance human well-being, and hold ourselves accountable to a simple standard: progress must protect the people it serves.
Warm regards,
Christopher J. O’Connor
Chris is the CEO and President of the Humanetics Group and is passionate about advancing safety. Through his leadership and mission in developing advanced technology to prevent injury and save lives, he is recognized as the “father of the modern crash test dummy” and one of the industry’s leading safety experts. Chris serves on various boards, has previously worked at several Fortune 500 Companies, and is a US Army Colonel (retired).