Step 1: Line up 23 Dutch lunatics in the middle of a road. Step 2: Get someone to drive a 62.3-ton Leopard tank at full speed on that road only to activate the emergency brakes just a few meters from the 23 lunatics. There’s no step 3. Just pray that you don’t end up with three thousand pounds of human jam.
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Cars that automatically stop when a pedestrian is in the way have been in Volvo’s fleet for a while now, but the automaker has just unveiled an update to its existing tech that’ll stomp on the brakes when cyclists are too close for comfort. Announced at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, the revamped system detects how close objects are with a grille-mounted radar and then uses a high-def camera within an auto’s rear-view mirror to discern whether it’s barreling down on a pedestrian or a biker. When bicyclists swerve in front of an automobile heading in the same direction, the setup immediately alerts the driver and applies full brake power — a world’s first Volvo says. According to the Swedish manufacturer, all vehicles outfitted with the pedestrian detection will have the cyclist spotting technology baked in, and it’ll show up in mid-May within the new Volvo V40, S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70 and S80. Head past the break for a video of the feature in action.
Filed under: Transportation
Via: The Verge
Source: Volvo
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