Volvo has revealed self-parking tech that allows drivers to drop their car off at a parking garage and have it automatically navigate to a spare space, summoning the vehicle from their smartphone on their return. The system, installed on a Volvo concept car, can not only drive itself to a free location but avoid other
Volvo’s no stranger to autonomous vehicles — it’s been working on SARTRE for several years now — but yesterday the company shared some info about a new self-parking concept it plans to demo next week. The prototype car (a V40) is able to find a space and park in it without a driver on board, all while avoiding pedestrians, vehicles and other obstacles. What’s most interesting is the level of integration Volvo is showcasing here — sensors, electronics and controls are seamlessly built into the car, making the tech look production-ready. Vehicle to infrastructure communication is used to alert the driver when the service is available, and the car is smartphone-enabled for easy drop-off and pickup. You’ll recall that Audi showed a similar self-parking concept at CES, so it certainly looks like the space is heating up. Hit the break for Volvo’s video and PR.
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Mobile
Via: Autoblog
Source: Volvo
Realizing that cars that automatically parallel park themselves are old news, Volvo has taken the concept one step—actually several miles—further with a new concept vehicle that can actually find an empty spot and park itself in a lot. You just abandon your car at the entrance of a parking lot, and like a valet you never have to tip, it takes care of the rest.
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Volvo has unveiled the world’s first cyclist detection system that offers fully automatic braking, causing the car to stop itself if a cyclist swerves in front of the vehicle. According to the manufacturer, Cyclist Detection is built upon its already existing detection and automatic braking technology, and will be implemented into all vehicles that use pedestrian detection.
The system is straight-forward: sensors keep an eye out for pedestrians and cyclist in front of and near the car, including those walking on foot and others on bicycles. While monitoring the individuals, if one of them makes a sudden change of direction in front of the car and the sensors determine that a crash will happen, the brakes are fully and automatically applied, bringing the car to a stop. You can see how it works in the video below.
According to the unveiling announcement, approximately half of the cyclist killed in Europe are hit by a car, something Volvo’s detection system aims to reduce. This feature will roll out in the middle of this upcoming May, and will be available in the following models: Volvo V40, S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70 and S80.
Volvo’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Customer Service Doug Speck had this to say: “As the leader in automotive safety, we have been first in the industry with all detection and auto brake technologies, from the first-generation brake support in 2006 to pedestrian detection with full auto brake in 2010 … By covering more and more objects and situations, we reinforce our world-leading position within automotive safety. We keep moving towards our long-term vision to design cars that do not crash”
[via Volvo]
Volvo unveils world’s first Cyclist Detection system with automatic braking is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Volvo is an automaker is famous for its safety features among other things. Volvo and Neonode have announced that they’re working together on a in-car infotainment system for Volvo vehicles called the Sensus Connected Touch. Neonode is handling the optical touch technology used in the touchscreen infotainment system.
The Volvo infotainment system uses a seven-inch touchscreen that runs the Google Android operating system. That seven-inch screen uses Neonode Multisensing technology to create an advanced touch interactive infotainment system that is easy for drivers to use. Volvo and Neonode note that the system is specifically designed and developed to fulfill strict safety regulations.
The goal during development was to create an infotainment system that delivers lots of capability while minimizing distraction to the driver. Neonode says that the technology used provides a 100% transparent no-glare interface that is undisturbed by electrical interference and other light sources, including sunlight. The technology is based on infrared light enabling touch control using any type of object including gloved fingers, car keys, styluses, or ordinary pens.
Many of the touchscreen devices we’re familiar with will only work when touched with a bare finger. The infotainment system allows drivers to navigate the Internet using a full web browser when stopped. It also has integrated navigation capabilities with a connected GPS function. The system will also play information about what you’re seeing as you drive and offers access to weather reports and lots of other information and data.
[via Volvo]
Volvo and Neonode team up for Sensus Connected Touch infotainment system is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has announced the five vehicles awarded with its Top Safety Picks+ designation. The awards are based on each vehicle’s performance in crash tests, with the goal being to encourage safer vehicles. This has been successful, with the Institute stating that some automakers have made changes to their vehicles in order to perform better on the tests.
The five awarded vehicles are comprised of Honda‘s 2-door and 4-door Civic, Volvo’s XC60, Ford‘s Lincoln MKZ, and the Mazda6. All but the Mazda6 are 2013 models, with the Mazda6 being the 2014 model. The Institute’s crash test put a quarter of each vehicle’s front end into a 5-foot barrier at a speed of 40mph.
Other tests include rear, rollover, and side tests, as well as one designed to see how the car holds up when the front corner is crashed into a pole or car. The latter is known as the “small overlap test,” with vehicle’s being rated with either a “good” or “acceptable” rating, which is then factored into the ratings of the other tests.
Honda’s Civic stood out among the winners, being the first small car to be bestowed with the Top Safety Pick+ award. The car underwent “significant” changes and upgrades to its front end in order to improve its rating on the small overlap test. In addition, Volvo also made changes to score better on that test, updating its airbag algorithm so the side curtain airbag would be triggered by the impact.
[via Detroit News]
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announces Top Safety Picks+ is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Volvo has been announcing some great improvements to its upcoming vehicles as they introduced a high beam system that would shade your light to other vehicles last week and earlier today, the company announced it was teaming up with Spotify. That’s not all Volvo is announcing today as they may have made it safer for vehicles and bicyclists to share the road once again.
Volvo is announcing an update to its existing tech where their vehicles will automatically stop when a pedestrian is in the way to now stop when cyclists are riding their bikes too close to your car. The updated system detects objects through a combination of a grille-mounted radar and a camera located in the rear-view mirror to see whether it’s a pedestrian or cyclist that is in your way. If the vehicle detects a cyclist swerving in front of your vehicle in the same direction you’re traveling, the system will apply full brakes.
Volvo’s cyclist-spotting technology will start showing up in their vehicles starting mid-May with their new Volvo V40, S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70 and S80. Let’s just hope the guy driving behind you is aware you have such a system or we could image a number of rear-ends occurring.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Spotify And Volvo Team Up For Voice Navigated Music Application, Mitsubishi Concept CA-MiEV Unveiled,
Back in February, Spotify announced a partnership with Ford in which its app will be part of Ford’s Sync AppLink system. Now it looks like Spotify has teamed up with another car manufacturer, Volvo, and they will be bringing a voice-navigated version of their music service to future Volvo models. As you can imagine, driving while fiddling with your radio is probably not the smartest idea, especially when you’re trying to navigate to your favorite song, which is why this voice navigation feature sounds like it could be a good idea for convenience and safety.
For those who would rather not navigate using their voices or who find that the error rate is a little too high for their liking, they will still be able to navigate Spotify via the Sense Connected Touch dashboard system which comes with a 7” display. Users will be able to attach 3G or 4G dongles for streaming, or even tether their phone if they wish. The UI of Spotify is also expected to be similar to the Android version so if you’ve used Spotify before on your Android device, the learning curve shouldn’t be too steep. This new feature will debut in the Volvo V40, V40 Cross Country, S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70 and S80 this coming May, but owners of Volvo vehicles made in 2011 will be able to retrofit it if they choose.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Spotify Coming To Ford Cars In North America, Next-gen In-Car Audio System Concept Revealed By B&O, Audi And Fraunhofer IIS,
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
Spotify continues to make itself at home in your car. Following its Ford hook-up at MWC last month, its announced a new team-up with Volvo that will bring a voice-navigated version of the music service to the car maker’s new models. It’ll form part of Volvo’s new Sense Connected Touch dashboard system which includes a 7-inch touchscreen for anyone that doesn’t feel like talking at their dash. Users can also stream music with a 3G or 4G dongle or tethered to your smartphone of choice. The Spotify UI itself will be familiar to anyone who’s used the app before and as the system runs on Android, you’ll also be able pick up the likes of Google Maps and other music-playing options available on Google Play. It’ll arrive this May as a dealer-fitted accessory on new Volvo V40, V40 Cross Country, S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70 and S80 models, while you’ll also be able to retrofit it to vehicles made since 2011. Spotify and Volvo has an in-car tour for us right after the break.
Filed under: Transportation, Software
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