For my friend Gibby – World-First Cyclist Detection
A very interesting fellow. Gibby has an energy level that 20-year-old folks would love to have. He loves being outdoors and is an avid cyclist. I mean avid. A short morning ride for him is 50-60 miles and he wants me to join him and his friends – yeah right. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago he was run off the road by a car. He is okay, nothing broken, just a couple of bruises. The problem was some kids were trying to do him harm! Many years ago, I used to ride my 10-speed to work at Volvo. One late afternoon an elderly lady hit me. She totaled my bike and I ended up on her hood. No injuries though. The problem is people cannot see everything.
Today, we announced another refinement to our Pedestrian Detection System with Full Auto Brake. Besides other cars, people and large animals, now we have added technology to identify people riding bicycles and apply full auto braking.
Here’s how it works:
And here are more details about this feature:
Volvo Car Group reveals world-first Cyclist Detection with full auto brake in Geneva
Doug Speck, Senior Vice President Marketing, Sales and Customer Service at Volvo Car Group, literally rolled out another Volvo world first in automotive safety at a press conference at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show on Tuesday. He introduced the groundbreaking safety feature – a technology that detects and automatically brakes for cyclists swerving out in front of the car – by entering the stage on a bicycle.
The new functionality is an enhancement of the present detection and auto brake technology, and the package will be called Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection with full auto brake. All cars equipped with pedestrian detection will also incorporate cyclist detection.
“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,” said Doug Speck.
Counteracts accidents
According to accident data, about 50 per cent of all cyclists killed in European traffic have collided with a car – a number that is counteracted by Volvo Cars’ new Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection technology.
New advanced software, including more rapid vision processing, has made it possible to extend the present detection and auto brake technology to cover also certain cyclist situations.
“Our solutions for avoiding collisions with unprotected road users are unique in the industry. 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,” said Doug Speck.
Automatic braking
A cyclist in the same lane swerving out in front of the car is one incident type that is addressed by the Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection with full auto brake, which will be available in the Volvo S60, XC60, XC70 and S80 models in 2013.
The advanced sensor system scans the area ahead. If a cyclist heading in the same direction as the car suddenly swerves out in front of the car as it approaches from behind and a collision is imminent, there is an instant warning and full braking power is applied.
The car’s speed has considerable importance for the outcome of an accident. A lower speed of impact means that the risk of serious injury is significantly reduced.
Combining camera and radar
Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection with full auto brake consists of a radar unit integrated into the car’s grille, a camera fitted in front of the interior rear-view mirror and a central control unit. The radar’s task is to detect objects in front of the car and to determine the distance to them. The camera determines the type of the objects. Thanks to the dual-mode radar’s wide field of vision, pedestrians and cyclists can be detected early on. The high-resolution camera makes it possible to spot the moving pattern of pedestrians and cyclists. The central control unit continuously monitors and evaluates the traffic situation.
The auto brake system requires both the radar and the camera to confirm the object. With the advanced sensor technology, it is then possible to apply full braking power immediately when necessary. The technology also covers vehicles driving in the same lane.
I know other car companies are now offering Pedestrian Detection Systems, but once again we are unique in pursuing safety features that keep us on track for our Vision 2020 project: By 2020, nobody shall be seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo. As mentioned before, there is no one complete technology solution but there is one belief that we can do it, one technology at a time.
So to Gibby and friends who cycle around our country, we are helping to make the roads a tad bit safer with this new feature. 
dan
Posted in news, pedestrian safety, safety | 3 Comments »Real world accident research – Real world results
Many of you know this bit of Volvo history but please bear with me on this refresh. Since 1972, Volvo in Sweden has investigated real world accidents that happen within about an hour’s drive of our Torslanda HQ. A team of researchers head to a site, take measurements, interview people and sometimes take the car into our crash center for further analysis. Right now, we have over 40,000 accidents in our real world accidents database.
What we have done and continue to do, is look for ways to help improve occupant protection. These days, it’s more about avoidance than protection. But for our database going forward there is no way to interview someone who didn’t have an accident because City Safety did it’s job. If an XC60 driver doesn’t stop and City Safety takes over, how can we measure that occurrence? We can’t, but the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) can and just did. Below is our press release about how City Safety is saving money and lives. You can read their release at: http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr071911.html
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2011-07-18-self-braking-cars_n.htm
Good video news report at http://www.autonews.com/article/20110719/VIDEO/307199926/1439
Good Morning America. Self-Braking Cars Get Green Light http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/braking-cars-green-light-14104791?tab=9482930§ion=1206852&playlist=14103762
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/volvo-crash-prevention-system-receives-high-marks-from-insurance-institute/
City Safety is another stepping stone to reaching Vision 2020 goal: No deaths or serious injuries in a Volvo by year 2020.
dan
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Insurance Claim Analysis: Volvo City Safety System Prevents Collisions
Highway Loss Data Institute Finds Volvo XC60 Gets Into Fewer Crashes
ROCKLEIGH, N.J. (July 19, 2011) – A newly published analysis from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) indicates that Volvo XC60s get into fewer low-speed crashes than comparable vehicles thanks to Volvo’s City Safety technology, a standard feature on all XC60s.
HLDI examined claim frequency under property damage liability, bodily injury liability and collisions. Their data concluded frequency rates for the XC60 were lower than all other midsize luxury SUVs, specifically:
- Claims under property damage liability coverage were filed 27 percent less often for the XC60 than other midsize luxury SUVs.
- Claim frequencies for injuries for the XC60 were filed about half as often compared to other midsize luxury SUVs.
- Collision claim frequencies for the XC60 were 22 percent lower than all other midsize luxury SUVs.
“This is our first real-world look at an advanced crash avoidance technology, and the findings are encouraging,” said Adrian Lund, president of HLDI and IIHS. “City Safety is helping XC60 drivers avoid the kinds of front-to-rear low speed crashes that frequently happen on congested roads.”
IIHS last year estimated that current crash avoidance features have the potential to prevent or mitigate as many as 1.9 million crashes each year, and current users have stated the systems help them to be safer drivers.
“It is great to see validation from HLDI and IIHS of the safety systems that we at Volvo are continually developing,” said Thomas Broberg, Volvo Car Corp.’s senior safety expert. ”This is another step towards achieving our Vision 2020 of eliminating serious injuries and fatalities by the year 2020, and an even larger step towards a crash-free future.”
HLDI also looked at how the crash reductions for the XC60 affected overall insurance costs:
- Overall payouts under property damage liability for XC60s were 20 percent lower than losses for all other midsize luxury SUVs.
- Estimated overall collision losses for the XC60 were 31 percent lower than all other midsize luxury SUVs.
“The lower claim frequencies found by HLDI prove that City Safety is preventing crashes and thus reducing insurance costs,” said John Maloney, VCNA’s vice president of marketing and product planning. ”There’s an opportunity here for insurance companies to begin offering a discount on vehicles equipped with City Safety or similar crash-avoidance technologies.”
HLDI analysts compared insurance claims data for the 2010 model XC60 with two control groups: other 2009-10 midsize luxury SUVs and other 2009-10 Volvo models. The analysis controlled for a variety of geographic and demographic factors that can affect claims. Geographic factors include garaging state and vehicle density (the number of registered vehicles per square mile). Demographic factors take into account such things as the primary driver’s age, gender and marital status. Other factors include calendar year plus the policy deductible.
HLDI defines the three types of auto insurance coverage as follows: property damage liability pays for damage an at-fault vehicle does to another’s property as the result of a crash. Bodily injury liability generally pays for injuries to people involved in the crash other than the insured at-fault driver. Collision pays for damage to the insured vehicle.
City Safety keeps a watch on vehicles in front with the help of a laser sensor built into the windscreen at the height of the rearview mirror. Between 2-19 mph, the car automatically brakes if the driver does not respond in time when the car in front slows down or stops – or if the driver is driving too fast towards a stationary object. If the relative speed difference between the two vehicles is less than 9 mph, the collision can be entirely avoided. If the speed difference is between 9-19 mph, the speed at impact is reduced by about one half, thereby mitigating the collision. City Safety also is also standard on the 2011 and 2012 S60, 2012 S80 and 2012 XC70.
In addition to City Safety, the XC60 is available with Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake as part of its optional Technology Package. Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake uses forward-looking radar and digital camera identification that scans an object and matches its shape against an image database of about 10,000 forms. The system can track up to 64 pedestrians and their paths – all within 50 milliseconds.
If a pedestrian walks into the car’s path and an impact is imminent, a warning light and tone warn the driver. If the driver does not react, the car will apply up to 100 percent available braking force, thereby avoiding a collision if the car is traveling 19 mph or less. At 20 mph and higher, the available breaking force will significantly mitigate the collision.
In the effort to continually be the industry leader in safety, Volvo is working on plans for the next generation of active safety detection which features animal detection. The system, much like today’s pedestrian detection, will feature a radar sensor and infrared camera – and it will function in the dark when the likelihood of hitting an animal increases. The system must be complex in order to recognize a variety of animals in differing sizes – from dogs to moose. According to IIHS, from 1993-2007, 2,499 people died in collisions involving wild animals and the number of collisions continues to increase.
Additional Information
IIHS: http://www.iihs.org/
XC60 City Safety: https://www.media.volvocars.com/us/enhanced/en-us/Media/Preview.aspx?mediaid=18521
XC60 Safety Systems: https://www.media.volvocars.com/us/enhanced/en-us/Media/Preview.aspx?mediaid=18524
Vision 2020: https://www.media.volvocars.com/us/enhanced/en-us/Media/Preview.aspx?mediaid=30670
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About Volvo
Volvo Cars of North America, LLC, (www.volvocars.com/us) is a subsidiary of Volvo Car Corporation of Gothenburg, Sweden. VCNA provides marketing, sales, parts, service, technology and training support to Volvo automobile retailers in the United States, and oversees Volvo operations in Canada. For more information please refer to the VCNA media website at: http://www.volvocars-pr.com, and follow Volvo’s blog at: www.volvoblog.us.
Contact:
Dan Johnston or Laura DiStefano
Volvo Cars of North America
800-977-0888
Posted in City Safety, pedestrian safety, safety, Sweden, XC60 | 5 Comments »At least one person has an Angel on his shoulder
Warren Brown, a journalist for The Washington Post, was driving one of our S60 Vibrant Copper press cars in the D.C. area and avoided a pedestrian accident because of our Pedestrian Detection system. In talking to Warren, he explained that the pedestrian came out of one building into a parking area, walked in front of Warren’s car, turned around, and walked back to where he came from directly across Warren’s path. When the pedestrian was turning around, Pedestrian Detection (with Full Auto Brake) continued to track him and when Warren didn’t apply the brakes or move the steering wheel, his S60 took over and stopped the car for him. Warren said the guy never even broke stride, he just kept walking. The pedestrian will never know that at best he would have been injured, or even worse. He must have had an Angel on his shoulder.
Globally, this is the first reported case of our Pedestrian system saving a life. Much thanks goes to those who worked on this project. Kind of feels good knowing one life is better off today thanks to a bunch of engineers in Sweden.
Check out an excerpt of Warren’s story below. When I first showed the Pedestrian Detection system to Warren, I forgot to mention the rear brake lights do come on to warn following drivers that the Volvo is about to stop. Hopefully, the cars behind are following far enough behind to apply the brakes and avoid hitting each other.
Find the full story at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2012-volvo-s60-t6-some-advice-thats-no-accident/2011/04/07/AFBP5Z3C_story.html
2012 Volvo S60 T6: Some advice that’s no accident
By Warren Brown, Friday, April, 5:19 PM
Get Volvo’s technology package. It will cost you an extra $2,100. But it’s worth every penny — one of the few automobile options packages that actually give you value for dollar.
I’d wager that governments worldwide, once they understand the lifesaving, property-sparing effectiveness of Volvo’s package, eventually will mandate that all, or at least some, aspects of that technology be sold as standard equipment on all new passenger cars.
That is what we have in the optional technology package on the 2012 S60 T6 sedan. Imagine a car that automatically and fully applies its brakes a few feet before it otherwise would have slammed into a child (at least 31 inches tall) or an adult who runs or steps into the path of the oncoming car. Volvo’s patented pedestrian-detection system, using a combination of cameras and radar, does that at speeds of up to 22 mph.
It did so in recent media tests in Northern Virginia. It did it again in what I am beginning to think is the most dangerous parking facility in the Washington metropolitan area — the Green parking structure at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington. Pedestrians, many of them outpatients going to or leaving doctor’s offices, routinely step into the paths of incoming or outgoing automobiles.
One such pedestrian leaving a VHC building in early April entered the garage, started walking in one direction, abruptly changed his mind and started walking in the opposite direction — directly in front of the S60 T6 that I was driving that week.
The car braked suddenly. I thanked God there was no car following me (a possible hazard with the pedestrian-detection system). The pedestrian continued moving, blessedly unaware of how close he came to being sent back to the doctor’s office, or to a hospital bed.
The pedestrian-detection system, as currently designed, isn’t perfect. There is, for example, the real possibility that automatically braking to spare a pedestrian could result in someone plowing into the rear of your car. And, as other tests have noted, it does not work in all conditions in sparing pedestrians, either. But it worked that time in the VHC parking structure. And for that, I’m willing to give it a green light for further development.
In conjunction with the pedestrian-detection system, the optional Volvo technology package also provides several other electronic notices for driver inattention — lane-departure and blind-spot warnings, impending-collision warning with automatic braking assistance, and front and rear parking proximity warnings.
In short, the 2012 Volvo S60 is a winner. But it’s less of one without the optional technology package. Get it. It could spare you heartache, headache, and a lot of unnecessary legal and financial pain.
dan
New S60 T5 arriving this month
We’re just announcing pricing for S60 T5 – $30,975. Honestly…a bargain. If you have driven this car, you’ll understand. If not, we have a surprise waiting for you. I and couple comrades, have been working with media to help them understand what we are up to and what this car can do for consumers. The reception has been astounding. I don’t think I have I seen this much media attention about one of our new cars since the launch of XC90 (our SUV).
I received an email from a journalist that said: “BTW, the S60 is a really nice car and the best Volvo I’ve driven in a long time – tight, nimble, quick, nice interior.” I think it is like opening a Cracker Jack box and finding it full of peanuts and cool prizes.
During our media launch last September, we presented the following to journalists. It helps understand our S60 positioning, our competitors, and how we stack up against them.
If you have any questions about S60, please feel free to rattle my cage – would be a nice break from daily stuff to answer your questions.
dan
S60 T5
Base priced amongst the lowest in the segment
Most torque in the segment
Fastest to 60 mph, 6.8 sec (vs segment)
Top of the segment in fuel economy – as much or better fuel economy than engines with significantly less HP and Torque
Real world test of City Safety
I know Bill, and he’s far from an “inept driver” as one commenter alludes to regarding this “2011 Volvo S60: A drivers car that makes better drivers” Boston.com article. Stuff happens, and in this case we saved all the hassles associated with a minor accident.
Here is Clifford’s counterpoint to Bill’s piece.
To an extent, Clifford is correct: electronic systems are not perfect. But if we get it right 90% of the time – heck, even 50% of the time – isn’t it worth using technology that might save a life? Could we have waited couple more years to get an absolutely 100% perfect system? Sure, but what about those that we could have saved? Tough call for any company to make. I think we made the right decision. What Clifford missed is that City Safety and Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Braking can be switched Off, with default On when car first started by driver. Clifford mentioned that the system could not detect our dummy during testing. Well, the system actually worked, it did not detect a human. There are vast differences between a dummy stuffed with foam and human stuffed with carbon and water.
dan
Posted in City Safety, distracted driving, pedestrian safety, safety | 2 Comments »Our first Open House since 1998 (I stand corrected since 2000)
Amazing how the years just blow by. Friends who work here now have sons and daughters working here, new cars have been launched, people change positions. So many things are different. But not our Open House.
Around nine months ago, Doug Speck, our CEO, told us it’s time to do one again. Working with Volvo Sports America (VSA) and Volvo Club of America (VCOA), we had one heck of a successful event. In all, about 370 club members showed up, putting 774 miles on our demo cars, testing City Safety with our XC60, trying Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake (still haven’t gotten used to all those words) with our S60, drooling over our classic car collection, and having lunch served by VCNA employees.
Beside these loyal owners, what makes me proud are the 70 employees who gave up a Saturday to staff and support what needed to get done.
Owners who love their Volvos, employees who love their work. Nice combination.
Have a great weekend,
Dan
Update: 10/30/2010.
Seems Dave is onto something. He wrote that unless his eyes are playing tricks, he has a dash plaque with “REVOLVOLUTION”, “Open House 10th Anniversary”, “October 28th 2000″, “Rockleigh, NJ” and “Volvo for life”. Revolvolution was about launching our S60 back in 2000. Seems absolutely no one here remembered that event. And to think we launched our new S60 with this Open House. Someone is looking over our shoulders. Thanks Dave!
Parking crew at 6:45 a.m.
Brett and wife Carrie Ann from Colorado and Gretchen Adam (VCOA).
Staffers between Volvo C70 and P1900 (number 34).
R-Sport jackets.
Doug Speck addresses early morning group.
Briefings on product planning, overseas delivery and VDIS service tool.
Lunch prep by VCNA staffers.
Lunch time!
Raffle winner takes home a C70 (of course!).
Volvo.
Good reason to watch TV
Hi Bloggettes. This just came over from our Marketing group:
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The launch of the All-New Naughty Volvo S60 is right around the corner and our S60 media launch has begun. We have two very exciting media events we would like to share with you.
1. Automobile and Motor Trend Video Showcase featuring Jean Jennings – Editor in Chief for Automobile Magazine — launched today!
Click on the links below to see what Jean Jennings has to say about our newest addition to the Volvo lineup.
- http://www.motortrend.com/womt/the_all_new_naughty_volvo_s60/index.html
- http://www.automobilemag.com/woamag/2011_volvo_s60/index.html
2. Speed Channel – Test Drive: Volvo S60
Airs for the first time on Monday, Sept. 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET
- Speed Network will showcase the breakthrough performance, design and technology of the all New Naughty Volvo S60 on its original series, Test Drive.
- Program features the Volvo S60 throughout the entire 30 minute episode and taps into automotive opinion leaders and professional drivers to bring the Naughty Volvo to life for the viewing audience.
The Naughty Volvo S60 Test Drive program will air on Speed TV:
- Monday September 20th @ 8:30pm ET
- Monday, September 20th @ 11:30pm ET
- Tuesday, September 21st @ 8:30am ET
- Friday, September 24th @ 3:30pm ET
- Saturday, October 2nd @ 9:30pm ET
The full episode of the S60 Test Drive can also be seen on:
TV/Video
- Speed TV Video on Demand from 10/4-11/8
- Hulu from 10/18 – 11/22
- SpeedTV.com video player from 10/18-11/22
Mobile
- Speed TV mobile site from 9/21 – 10/26
- Sprint, Mobi TV and AT&T providers
- iTunes from 10/4-11/22
We hope you enjoy! Have a great weekend
Linda
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Nice way to start the week.
dan
Posted in news, pedestrian safety, S60 | Comments Off
CNBC with S60, Pedestrian Detection and Doug Speck
Wow, busy few minutes on Monday for Doug.
Posted in Doug Speck, news, pedestrian safety, S60, safety | Comments OffBest Review of Pedestrian Safety I’ve Seen
Very good description and demonstration by our Naughty Tour host.
Good holiday weekend to all our friends in the US. The rest of you…well it’s just two days to Monday.
dan
Posted in City Safety, design, distracted driving, news, pedestrian safety, S60, safety | Comments OffThe ‘Naughty Volvo Tour’ Coming to a City Near You
An S60 hello to you all.
Last year we took XC60 on tour. Our goal was to show something completely different in two ways: design and safety. No other Volvo ever looked as good, (okay, I think the first C70 Coupe was stunning, especially in Saffron color), but the XC60 was really the first showing of our new design evolution. We also needed to demonstrate how City Safety – a world first in safety – worked.
Think about it: We go through life driving a couple of million miles and never test safety … hopefully not. Then along comes a car that begs to be tested, but doing it with your own XC60, well, that’s not going to work. So we went on the road to let folks try City Safety. In the end, about 3,941 out of 6,311 (knowing Bill Buchka, Mgr. Brand and Launch Communications, asking for an approximate number will get me exact numbers – Swedes don’t do ‘approximate’) tested City Safety.
The car is stunning; it has performance and handling akin to our last generation S60 R car, and features Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Braking. So rather than hunting real pedestrians, we’re doing real, live, come on down and try it, demonstrations – again with Bill Buchka at the helm.
Here are some details:
We just announced the start of our upcoming Naughty Volvo Tour to launch the All-New 2011 Volvo S60. The Naughty Volvo Tour, which will stop at around 150 Volvo retailers across the U.S. and in Canada, kicked off on July 6 in Cranston, R.I., Tulsa, Okla. and Tucson, Ariz., and will conclude in the fall.
“The 2011 Volvo S60 is really going to make an impression in the midsize sedan segment,” said Doug Speck, VCNA president and CEO. “Not only is it the most dynamic Volvo we’ve ever produced, but it also introduces the world-first Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake technology, which will automatically stop the car if it senses an impending collision with a pedestrian. We’re excited to show the S60 to consumers so they can judge for themselves.”
Touted “the sportiest Volvo ever,” the All-New Volvo S60 is equipped with a turbocharged T6 engine, which puts out 300 horsepower and 325 lb.-ft. of torque, and comes standard with all-wheel-drive. Its breathtaking new design captures the imagination and sets the heart racing like no other Volvo sedan, with the C-pillar stretching sensually all the way to the taillights – giving the impression of a 4-door coupe.
The All-New Volvo S60 is also available with Pedestrian Detection with Full Auto Brake, a groundbreaking technological solution that actively helps the driver avoid accidents. Volvo’s radar- and camera-based system can detect pedestrians in front of the car, warn the driver if someone walks out into its path, and then automatically activate the S60′s full braking power if the driver fails to respond in time.
The Naughty Volvo Tour is a series of retailer-hosted experiential events, which allow attendees to preview the All-New Volvo S60 before it goes on sale. Utilizing multimedia interactive displays to emphasize the car’s design, performance and safety attributes will heighten the sensory experience. Demonstrations of the Pedestrian Detection system in action will also be available.
For a full tour schedule and to register to attend a retailer tour event, please visit http://naughty.volvocars.us/. Here, saved you some mouse work http://www.volvocars.com/us/all-cars/volvo-s60/Pages/default.aspx?s60tourhub
Come on down, try and hit a dummy, you just might save a real life someday.
dan
Posted in C70, City Safety, distracted driving, pedestrian safety, S60, safety, XC60 | 2 Comments »
