When it comes to driving, there is always a chance of an accident taking place. However, mirrors, sensors and air bags are capable of doing only so much when it comes to preventing accidents as well as accidental deaths. This is where Volvo comes in with a new technology aimed at eliminating road fatalities altogether in Volvo cars by 2020. The Swedish group states that by the end of this decade, the next-gen cars shall be incorporated with computers that will have a view of 360 degrees of their surroundings.
This approach required that a centralized Sensor Fusion framework be developed to enable a number of technologies such as camera, radar and GPS in order to manage data sharing more efficiently. In case of an accident about to happen (that is before it happens), the system will either have the car find an ‘escape route’, brake automatically or steer the car to avoid the accident.
The system scans for cyclists, pedestrians and all other vehicles while anticipating their movements in relativity to the car and does this all five seconds in advance. This allows the system to send an alert to the driver if an accident is likely and if the driver ignores the alert, then the car takes over. The technology’s development was carried out by Volvo’s 4-year Non-Hit Car and Truck Project that shall come to a close in December 2014.
Project Manager at Non-Hit Car Project at Volvo Cars, Anders Almevad said, “We’ve taken a significant step towards realising the vision that by 2020 no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car. The technology is also imperative for the development of self-driving cars, which will be able to automatically steer and brake to avoid collision with any object in any situation. Our primary objective is to focus on preventing different types of accident scenarios. But going forward, we will also continue to work on developing cars that adapt to each individual driver’s unique behavior.”
Let’s hope we do end up in a future where the cars are capable of avoiding accidents on their own. Till then, we are keeping our fingers crossed!
Check out the video below for more details:
