Volvo Car Corp. has unveiled new three technologies that it claims will allow its vehicles to become safer: autonomous driving, intersection support and animal detection. The carmaker said it is developing three new technologies as prompted by surveys regarding driving habits. Volvo, now owned by Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., claims that surveys from three different research institutes in the United States reveal that modern drivers do spend between 25 to 30 percent of their time behind the wheel doing other things like calling or texting. According to Volvo, there surveys lead them to develop new technologies that could provide the driver “with the right support at all times,” even while doing something unrelated to driving.
The carmaker’s autonomous-driving function makes good use of a camera and radar to allow future Volvo vehicles to follow the car in front while driving in slow traffic. The function works by having the engine, brakes and steering wheel react automatically to the car at the front. If the vehicle ahead swerves, the Volvo will also move in the same direction.
According to Fredrik Lundholm, function developer at the Volvo's Safety Functions department, the autonomous driving technology can help the driver comfortably and safely follow the vehicle in front, thus reducing the monotony and bore of driving in slow traffic. The “Intersection Support” technology, meanwhile, uses a sensor to assess the entire traffic scenario, especially at an intersection, where more than 20 percent of fatal accident in the US occurred. This safety technology is being developed to apply the vehicle's brakes automatically in certain kinds of emergencies.
