Trauma-buffer

Trauma buffers positioned to protect rotational joints. Note the two types of materials used in their construction.

On a Cybertronian body, trauma-buffers are plates which are used to protect delicate mechanical joints and servos from sheering pressure during sharp impact.

The mechanism used by trauma-buffers to provide protection is not clear. Their two-level construction suggests they may be sacrificial; designed to fail or shatter when a force exceeds a structural limit rather than translating that impact to the joint.

Fiction

2005 IDW continuity

On the planet Nebulos, Ultra Magnus recognized the combination of servos, trauma-buffers, and cydraulics within an augmented Nebulan as Cybertronian technology. Spotlight: Ultra Magnus

Notes

• Modern automobiles are "designed to fail" during accidents in much this same way as a safety feature, in contrast to older "more durable" steel-bodied cars which might suffer little damage in an accident, but [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Whiplash (medicine)|{{#if:translated the entire force|translated the entire force|Whiplash (medicine)}}]] to the driver. That's neat!
• Outside of Transformers, the term "trauma buffer" refers to an unrelated concept in developmental psychology. A child's ability to handle (appropriately enough) emotional whiplash.