Skip to main content

Volvo’s new cars to get pedestrian and cyclist detection

By tracking moving objects, a new system from Volvo could help prevent accidents. The system uses a camera embedded in a car’s rear view mirror, combined with a radar instrument in the grill to scan the road ahead. If it sees an object, an onboard computer will determine whether it is a cyclist or a pedestrian, and prepare to apply the brakes if someone swerves out into traffic or darts across road. Many cars already come with safety systems that will brake if a collision with another vehicle or a pedestria
March 28, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
By tracking moving objects, a new system from 609 Volvo could help prevent accidents.

The system uses a camera embedded in a car’s rear view mirror, combined with a radar instrument in the grill to scan the road ahead. If it sees an object, an onboard computer will determine whether it is a cyclist or a pedestrian, and prepare to apply the brakes if someone swerves out into traffic or darts across road. Many cars already come with safety systems that will brake if a collision with another vehicle or a pedestrian seems imminent. By tracking nearby moving objects, the Volvo system could prevent further accidents.

The system is said to enhance a driver’s awareness of his or her surroundings. If a driver doesn’t see a cyclist, a warning flashed on the windscreen will serve as a reminder to drive more cautiously. Augmenting drivers’ ability to monitor the road is increasingly common and it can be preferable to a system that tries to take over completely.

Volvo will demonstrate the system at this year’s New York Auto Show and says it will appear in virtually all its models from mid-2013.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Machine vision standards definition moves forward with establishment of new forum
    December 3, 2012
    The new Future Standards Forum will homogenise standards develop in the machine vision and partnering sectors. Here, machine vision industry experts discuss developments. By Jason Barnes At the Vision Show, which took place in Stuttgart at the beginning of November, the European Machine Vision Association, the US’s Automated Imaging Association and the Japan Industrial Imaging Association (JIIA) established a joint initiative, the Future Standards Forum (FSF). This, said the EMVA’s President Toni Ventura, a
  • Most Honda owners turn off lane departure warning, says IIHS
    March 8, 2016
    Owners of Hondas with crash avoidance features are much more likely to have forward collision warning turned on than lane departure warning, IIHS researchers found in a recent observational survey. The researchers observed vehicles brought in to Honda dealerships for service. They found that all but one of 184 models equipped with the two features had forward collision warning turned on, while only a third of vehicles had lane departure warning activated. IIHS says the findings are consistent with pre
  • AVs in the Netherlands? Don't forget the bikes
    June 11, 2019
    The Netherlands’ famous love of bicycles could be a problem when it comes to the deployment of autonomous vehicles there. And there might be other obstacles, finds Ben Spencer Of all the countries on the planet, the Netherlands is most ready to start deploying autonomous vehicles (AVs), according to a survey by KPMG earlier this year. On the face of it, this is good news: coming first out of 25 countries listed in the Autonomous Vehicles Readiness Index (AVRI) for the second consecutive year puts the Du
  • Teledyne Flir: here’s how to find the right ITS camera
    January 4, 2022
    From lighting to weather, there are so many elements which need to be taken into account when choosing a camera for ITS operations. Riana Sartori from Teledyne Flir offers a buyer’s guide