MELBOURNE, Australia (NBC News)–Meet Graham.
This weird-looking sculpture is part of the latest road safety campaign in Australia’s Victoria state. According to the Transport Accident Commission, he has the ideal body to survive a car crash at almost any speed.
What makes him special? Trauma surgeon Christian Kenfield explains that Graham’s head and ribs are designed to absorb more force–and he doesn’t have a neck.
“The head has a much bigger skull so it acts like a bicycle helmet,” Kenfield explained. “Graham actually has no neck, he has no cervical spine that can be fractured in a whiplash injury. These ribs are super ribs absorbing much more of the force.”
Graham also has thicker skin, a flat face with more fatty tissue, and strong, hoof-like legs.
Graham was sculpted by Kenfield and a Melbourne artist named Patricia Piccinini. He’s made out of fiberglass, silicone, resin, and human hair.
“He’s not patronizing, he’s not imposing, he’s open to us and the eyes are where the work is,” Piccinini said. “It’s where you can really connect with him and empathize. If he was aggressive or belligerent or sort of patronizing we wouldn’t be able to do that. He’s very Australian, I think.”
Graham is on display at the state library of Victoria until August 8. Visitors can use immersive augmented reality technology to look under Graham’s skin and learn about his unique features.
According to Australian media, Graham is going to travel Victoria with his simple but hopefully effective message: “You haven’t got what I’ve got and if you drive safely, you won’t need it.”
To find more, check out Graham’s web site.