Delft University of Technology is using 3D scanning technology to measure some 1,800 Dutch children between the ages of three months and 15 so their data can be used to make products like bike helmets, life jackets and play equipment safer.

The project is financed by the European Commission and was commissioned by the European standards institute Euronorm.

“We found that data for children were few and far between,”  project leader Toon Huysmans told local broadcaster Omroep West.

A further 1,500 Spanish children will also be measured. “Spanish children are a little smaller and Dutch children a bit bigger. So we’re looking at average size, but also, and in particular, at peaks in the measurements,” he said.

The data can be used to provide a better product for children who do not fit the average mould. “Think of bike helmets, for example. An ill-fitting helmet can cause a lot of damage in the event of a fall.”

Huysmans also cited the example of children who got their fingers caught in the benches at bus stations in The Hague, leading to one child having to be transported to hospital with a piece of bench still attached.

‘Discovering the world comes with lots of bumps and scratches but you do want to keep children safe from dangers that may have a huge impact,” he said.