Volvo Considers Pedestrian Safety Too

Automatic braking system with pedestrian and bicycle detectionVolvo equips its vehicles with high-tech devices to realize various safety and driver-assistance functions, including the above. In the "V40" released in Japan in 2013, an external pedestrian airbag that deploys outwards is adopted, demonstrating a commitment to ensuring the safety of not only occupants but also everyone sharing the road.Ensuring safety.

Then, on April 1st, Volvo Car Japan, the Japanese subsidiary of Volvo, announced the successful development of the world's first "Airbag for Walking Smartphone Accidents," releasing an experimental video exclusively on April 1st.

While the dangers of "walking smartphones"—walking while operating a smartphone—have been pointed out, concrete measures to prepare for potential accidents have not yet been implemented. Therefore, drawing inspiration from the safety and driver-assistance features found in the latest Volvo models, Volvo Car Japan has developed a system that uses three sensors—millimeter-wave radar, infrared radar, and a digital camera—to monitor the risk of collision between pedestrians. In the event of a collision, the airbag mitigates the impact for both parties.

Volvo Car Japan is considering proposing a full-scale research initiative for this technology to its Swedish headquarters and commented, "Happy April Fools!"