Volvo seems to consistently be at the forefront of vehicle safety technology, and with the company’s latest idea, it’s expanding from protecting those inside the car to protecting those one outside.
The latest safety concept is a smart cycling helmet that connects with cars on the road. Volvo is due to give the first public demonstration of the technology at the 2015 International CES, which will take place in a few weeks.
The technology – the first of its kind – was developed in conjunction with a sports gear manufacturer POC and Ericsson. The helmet enables two-way communication of location between cyclists and cars. If a cyclist is in a driver’s blind spot, both parties receive a warning in hopes of preventing an impending collision. The driver will get the warning via the car’s head-up display, while the cyclist will get one via a light integrated into the helmet.
The system is controlled by a smartphone app and all of the processing is done over cloud. This way, all of the alerts can be sent to every driver that is connected in the surrounding areas.
Cycling is becoming an increasingly popular method of transportation in Volvo’s hometown of Gothenburg. In China, the Beijing government is also promoting the benefits of cycling in an effort to decrease vehicle traffic by 25 per cent before the end of next year.
The Swedish automaker has been making progressive steps in car-to-car safety systems for years, but there are very few, if any, systems in place for the unprotected road users like cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians.
This week, Volvo has also revealed plans to move into online sales and revamp its entire vehicle lineup by 2018.