Driving while distracted? Volvo’s new EX90 may just pull you off the road . . .

By: IRMA VENTER

Volvo Cars has promised that its new battery electric flagship model, the EX90, will be the safest Volvo yet. 

The EX90 is scheduled to go on sale globally in the second half of next year.

Volvo Cars says the sports-utility vehicle will boast one of the most advanced sensor sets on the market. 

“A Volvo-unique suite of eight cameras, five radars, 16 ultrasonic sensors and a cutting-edge light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor will combine with in-house developed software, the vehicle’s core computing power and a new real-time interior sensing system, to move [Volvo] a step closer to its vision of a future with zero collisions,” says the Scandinavian auto maker.

Embedded in the EX90’s roofline, the LiDAR sensor will be able to detect pedestrians at up to 250 m away, and something as small and dark as a tyre on a black road 120 m ahead – all while travelling at highway speeds. 

“We are fusing our understanding of the outside environment with our more detailed understanding of driver-attention,” adds Volvo Cars safe vehicle automation head Joachim de Verdier. 

“When all our safety systems, sensors, software and computing power come together, they create a preventative shield of safety around you – and you won’t even know it’s there until you need it.”

Volvo’s new “driver understanding system”, set for launch in the EX90, uses two cameras in the cabin to observe the driver’s eye-gaze patterns and pick up early signals that indicate the driver may not be performing at their best.

 

By measuring how much of the time the driver looks at the road ahead (allowing for natural variations), the system understands when the driver’s eyes, and perhaps also the driver’s mind, are focused somewhere other than on driving.

The steering wheel also plays a role, as it senses when the driver lets go of the wheel, therefore monitoring the stability of the steering input. 

By using patented algorithms for real-time sensing of gaze patterns and steering behaviour, the EX90 will be able to take appropriate action to help the driver when needed, from sounding a warning signal, to stopping at the side of the road, alerting other road users with its hazard lights.

Ultimately, using these new sensor systems (inside and out), the vehicle will not only be able to step in and assist the driver, it will also have a better understanding of when it is needed and how to assist in the best possible way, promises Volvo Cars.

The global reveal of the EX90 takes place on November 9.