Volvo has reinvented the humble seatbelt.
The new multi-adaptive safety belt is world-first technology and designed to further enhance safety for everyone in real-world traffic situations.
Set to make an entrance in the fully electric Volvo EX60 next year, the new safety belt is designed to better protect people by adapting to traffic variations and the person wearing it — thanks to real-time data from the car’s advanced sensors.
The new multi-adaptive safety belt can use data input from interior and exterior sensors to customise protection, adapting the setting based on the situation and individual’s profiles, such as their height, weight, body shape and seating position.
For example, a larger occupant in a serious crash will receive a higher belt load setting to help reduce the risk of head injury.
While a smaller occupant in a milder crash will receive a lower belt load setting to reduce the risk of rib fractures.
This is achieved by significantly increasing the number of so-called load-limiting profile variations, which manage the force applied to the occupants in the event of an accident.
And thanks to over-the-air software updates, it gets better over time.
“The world first multi-adaptive safety belt is another milestone for automotive safety and a great example of how we leverage real-time data with the ambition to help save millions of more lives,” Volvo’s Asa Haglund said.
“This marks a major upgrade to the modern three-point safety belt, a Volvo invention introduced in 1959, estimated to have saved over a million lives.”
Modern safety belts use load limiters to control how much force the safety belt applies on the human body during a crash.
This new safety belt expands the load-limiting profiles from 3 to 11 and increases the possible number of settings, enabling it to optimise performance for each situation and individual.
Unlike traditional systems, the new multi-adaptive safety belt can use data from different sensors, including exterior, interior and crash sensors.
In less than a blink of an eye, the car’s system analyses the unique characteristics of a crash – such as direction, speed, and passenger posture – and shares that information with the safety belt.
Based on this data, the system selects the most appropriate setting.
The capabilities of the new multi-adaptive safety belt are designed to continuously improve via over-the-air software updates.
As Volvo Cars gathers more data and insights, the car can improve its understanding of the occupants, new scenarios and response strategies.
The new safety belt is part of Volvo Cars’ broader safety ecosystem, working seamlessly with airbags, occupant detection and driver assistance systems.
The belt has been tested and further developed at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre crash lab, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
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