- Volvo has announced a new intelligent seat belt that responds to the size of the passenger and the severity of the crash
- The first model to get it will be next year’s EX60 electric vehicle
The last time Volvo reinvented the seat belt, it wasn’t hard. They revolutionized safety in the 1950s by taking seat belts from two points to three.
They’re changing the technology again, but it’s more complicated this time. Volvo’s new “multi-adaptive safety belt” uses data from sensors inside and outside the car to adjust to the specifics of the passenger it’s holding and the crash it’s protecting them from.
Related: Safety Group Says Seat Belt Reminders Getting Better
It will debut in the EX60 electric vehicle (EV), a midsize SUV about the size of the current XC60 expected to appear next year.
Based on Data from 80,000+ Crashes
Volvo says it studied “a database of over 80,000 occupants involved in real-life accidents” to understand how forces unfold in an accident.
It then developed a 3-point safety belt that changes how it behaves based on the specifics of an unfolding crash.
Related: U.S. to Require Rear Seat Belt Reminders
Today’s safety belts use load limiters to control how much force they apply to hold the body still in a crash. But Volvo’s multi-adaptive belt has 11 possible load-limiting profiles.
It chooses which one to apply based on “data from different sensors, including exterior, interior and crash sensors. In less than a blink of an eye, the car’s system analyses the unique characteristics of a crash – such as direction, speed, and passenger posture – and shares that information with the safety belt. Based on this data, the system selects the most appropriate setting.”
Don’t Forget to Download Updates to Your Seat belts
The multi-adaptive belt will improve over time, Volvo says. The company will send over-the-air software updates as it “gathers more data and insight.” Updates could improve the belts’ “understanding of the occupants, new scenarios and response strategies.”
