![]() Yes, that semi-truck might have its own autonomous braking system that could help it from hitting a disabled vehicle but, if not, then some of that prevention comes down to the roads we drive on. The answer, it turns out, is in the infrastructure of our roads. How can Volvo possibly promise that the occupants would survive that kind of scenario? While briefly speaking with Volvo’s head of autonomous driving, I asked him what might happen if, say, a Volvo hit a ditch, totaled itself, and then was hit by an oncoming semi-truck. #VOLVO 2020 VISION DRIVERS#That also includes 10-12 hidden areas where dummy bicyclists, animals, cars and other objects can pop out into the road.ĪstaZero has even more unique features, including the ability to block off different parts of the track so that automakers can test in private, secret and separated garages, lane markings for every country in the world (which is important for cars to learn for autonomous driving) and, surprisingly, even secret entrances that can be used with live volunteer drivers who enter the track to test cars, unaware of when they’ve actually entered the testing facility. The track is 2,000 meters long and 1,000 meters wide – it’s massive, and AstaZero says it should offer any sort of environment an automaker would want to test in. The city area was probably my favorite: it features four buildings covered in massive wallpapers that replicate buildings in Harlem, New York. More importantly, it also offers several areas where manufacturers can test vehicles, including regions meant to mimic rural roads, high speed multi-lane highways, a city area and a proving ground center, which is a huge open area at the center of the facility. #VOLVO 2020 VISION DRIVER#Volvo admits that the goal here isn’t to prevent accidents entirely – sometimes they can’t be avoided, but with the right seats, airbags, industrial design, a strong frame and a self-aware car, it can help minimize the risks a driver faces while operating a vehicle. Volvo also worked on features drivers might never know about: like a metal breakaway system inside of the seats that helps take force off of the driver’s body during an accident, and safe positioning technology that focuses on driver and passenger posture by tightening safety belts and cushioning the impact on the spine during hard landings, which helps prevent serious spine injury during an accident.Ĭombined, both autonomous driving and these engineering tweaks to the internals of the car play a huge role in preventing serious accidents. Second, they’re actually already helping to decrease accidents by 20-30 percent.Īutonomous features are just half of the technology that helps keep drivers safe. He explained that while yes, it’s plausible it could, the auto-brake systems kick in so late that a driver should never get the chance to rely on them – their reflexes will likely make them hit the brakes before an auto brake is necessary. I asked Volvo’s head of autonomous driving whether or not these autonomous safety features might actually encourage drivers to do things like text behind the wheel. The point, Volvo says, is to create a system whereby the car reacts when the driver wouldn’t even have time to, and it works. ![]() The car will slam on the brakes at the last moment if it thinks it’s about to run into a cyclist, another car, a pedestrian or an object, perhaps even a moose that has just wandered onto the road. The autonomous systems on the XC90 are always working: cameras and lasers are bouncing light off of objects all around the car and constantly providing it with information on the car’s surroundings, even objects that the driver might not ever see. Volvo’s goal is to get 100 self-driving cars on the roads of Sweden by 2017, just two years from now, but why not use the features that already work in today’s cars? That’s the point here. Of course, that future can’t be achieved without actually building some of that tech into the cars we already drive. Companies such as Google, Audi, Mercedes and others also offer these features, and some, like Google and Volvo, are working toward a future of self-driving cars. At its simplest, autonomous driving can be defined as a car basically controlling itself. ![]()
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