A tcchn%g\' to stta/\' the sensitivity (~fimpact responses to prescribed test conditions is prcsented. Motor vehicle impacts arc used to illustrate the principles of this sensitivity tcchnology. Impact conditio/lS arc rcgulated by specifying either a corridor for the accelera tion time history or other test parameters such as velocity change, static crush distance. and pulse dllration. By combining a time domain constrained optimization method and a multirigid hody dyn(//Ilics simulator, the upper and lower bounds of occupant responses su/~iect to the reglllated corridors were obtained. It was found that these prescrihed corridors may be either so wide as to allow extreme variations in occllpant response or so lUI/TOll' that they are physically unrealizable in the labora tory test environment. A nell' corridor based on specifications for the test parameters of acceleration, vclocity. crush distance, lind duration for frontal vehicle impacts is given. D 1996 101m Wiley & SOIlS. fllc,