Volvo relentlessly pursue safety
The new EX90 will boast of the most advanced sensors and technology available. It will be able to sense a tyre on a black road 120m ahead and at highway speeds.
A Volvo-unique suite of eight cameras, five radars, 16 ultrasonic sensors and a cutting-edge light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor will combine with in-house developed software, the vehicle’s core computing power and a new real-time interior sensing system to move the Scandinavian firm a step closer to its vision of a future with zero collisions.
“We believe the EX90 to be the safest Volvo car to ever hit the road,” says Joachim de Verdier, head of safe vehicle automation at Volvo Cars.
“We are fusing our understanding of the outside environment with our more detailed understanding of driver attention. When all our safety systems, sensors, software, and computing power come together, they create a preventative shield of safety around you – and you won’t even know it’s there until you need it.”
Embedded in the EX90’s roofline, the class-leading LiDAR sensor can detect pedestrians at up to 250m distances and something as small and dark as a tyre on a black road 120m ahead – all while travelling at highway speeds.
The new “driver understanding system”, meanwhile, uses two cameras in the cabin to observe the driver’s eye-gaze patterns and pick up early signals that indicate the driver may not be at their best. By measuring how much of the time the driver looks at the road ahead (allowing for natural variations), it understands when the driver’s eyes, and perhaps therefore mind, are focused somewhere other than on driving.
The capacitive steering wheel also plays a role, sensing if the driver lets go of the wheel and monitoring the stability of the steering input. By using patented algorithms for real-time sensing of gaze patterns and steering behavior, the car will be able to take appropriate action to help the driver when needed, from sounding a simple warning signal to even safely stopping at the side of the road, alerting other road users with its hazard lights.
Ultimately, using these new sensor systems (inside and out), the vehicle will not only be able to step in and assist the driver, but it will also have a better understanding of when it’s needed and how to assist in the best possible way.
Watch this space for more upcoming details.
Source: MotorPress
