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Safety Tips
Volvo's Safety Concept Car: The Shape of Things to Come?
By Scott Memmer
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There's an old adage in advertising: "Sex sells." A quick glance at a nearby magazine
rack will confirm that this philosophy lives on in our popular media. From the
cover of Cosmo to the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition to People
Magazine, we're deluged with salacious images.
This trend applies to the automotive business, as well. It's no secret that many
consumers purchase cars as much for their sex appeal, styling and attractiveness
as for their functionality. In response to this perceived "need," automotive designers
go out of their way — sometimes too far out of their way — to come up
with the latest look, to mold sheet metal into sex appeal.
The truth is, we love attractive cars. We love the way they make us feel, the
way they make us look, what they say about our own attractiveness. But there's
a new maxim in the car business these days: "Safety sells." Believe it or not,
safety has become sexy.
With an aging population of baby boomers having families of their own, and with
Americans in general spending more and more time on the road, awareness surrounding
vehicle safety has heightened dramatically in the past decade or so. As a result,
automakers are now scrambling for the crown of "safety leader."
Case in point: In 1999, Ford Motor Co. acquired Volvo Car Corp., a company long
recognized for its safety reputation. Since then, Ford has used the Volvo connection
as a springboard to raise its safety profile in the industry.
One of the more interesting concept cars to appear lately is Volvo's Safety Concept
Car (SCC), which made its official world debut at the 2001 North American International
Auto Show. Volvo recently sent the SCC on the road for a multi-city tour across
North America, and during its stop in Los Angeles we had a chance to inspect the
car and learn more about its unique design. The vehicle contains an impressive
array of cutting-edge features that will likely find their way into Volvo and
Ford products in the future (and other vehicles too, since safety is a very competitive
area). It may well be the shape of things to come.
The hallmark of the SCC is "superior vision" — that is, improving the sightlines
for the driver and providing more visual information. According to Volvo, "More
than 90 percent of all important information comes to the driver in the form of
visual input through the car's windows and windshield." By adapting the vehicle
to each individual's driving position, the Volvo Safety Concept Car optimizes
the driver-machine interface and reduces the likelihood of an accident.
In a scenario that sounds like a page out of a science fiction novel, the SCC
accomplishes this by using sensors to scan the position of the driver's eyes,
then adjusting the driver seat to offer optimum visibility. Once this is done,
the steering wheel, floor, pedals and center console all automatically adjust
to give maximum ergonomic feel and comfort. According to Volvo, "All the controls
are ideally positioned so that the driver has full control and the best possible
conditions for responding to emergencies. A relaxed driving position also boosts
comfort, so the driver can be more alert behind the wheel."
In addition, the Volvo SCC boasts a number of other design advances that markedly
improve driver visibility:
- See-through A-pillars: Through the use of transparent Plexiglas,
the A-pillars are made partially transparent. And by using steel box construction,
there is no loss of pillar strength.
- "Invisible" B-pillars: The B-pillars curve inward at the top, giving
the driver an unobstructed field of vision to the offset rear.
- Active rearview mirrors: Sensors in the rear of the car alert the
driver when a car is in the driver's "blind spot." This is done through visual
signals in the mirrors, augmented by an acoustic warning if another vehicle
gets too close.
- Rearward-facing cameras: To enhance rear visibility further and reduce
"blind spots," the Volvo SCC has several rear-facing cameras mounted in the
back of the car. Images are displayed on a video monitor in the instrument
panel.
- Adaptive headlights: The headlights monitor the car's road speed
and steering wheel movements and adjust accordingly. For instance, when the
car is driving at higher speeds, the light beam is given a longer reach. At
low speeds, the beam is made shorter and broader, to light up a larger area
close to the car. The headlights are even designed to adjust during turns,
with the beam widening along the track of the curve. This instantaneous reactivity
is made possible by the use of fiber-optic technology.
- Night vision: We've road-tested the night vision system marketed
by Cadillac and were unimpressed. Nevertheless, Volvo proposes using infrared
night vision in the SCC. Seems to us that the adaptive headlights would be
enough, but we'll trust Volvo on this one.
In addition to the above vision-enhancing technologies, the Volvo SCC employs
several other active systems designed to reduce the risk of accidents. These include
the following:
- Collision warning sensors: If the distance to the car in front is
too short, or the gap is closing too fast, the SCC's driver is alerted via
a red warning light. The system can also be programmed to produce an acoustic
warning.
- Lane centering: With the use of forward-facing cameras, the car's
position in relation to side- and center-markers is continuously monitored.
If the vehicle shows signs of veering to either side without activation of
the turn signals, the driver is alerted via an acoustic signal. This is an
excellent feature for monitoring sleepiness or intoxication behind the wheel.
- Flashing brake lights: Another simple but inspired idea employed
in the SCC is the use of flashing brake lights. If the driver has to brake
suddenly and firmly, the SCC's brake lights automatically flash, warning drivers
to the rear. Although we think this is a great idea, Volvo warns that "it
should be noted that flashing brake lights are still forbidden by law in many
countries."
- Four-point safety belts. Volvo is also experimenting with the next
evolution in the seatbelt. This should come as no surprise, since the company
invented and perfected the three-point
seatbelt some 40 years ago. The SCC contains two prototype four-point
belt systems: a crossover harness (X4 CrissCross) and a brace-type system
(Center Buckle V4). The X4 CrissCross is essentially a three-point safety
belt with the addition of a retractable diagonal chest-belt; when in place,
the additional belt forms an "X" across the chest — thus the name. The
Center Buckle V4 setup is similar to the five-point harness used in race cars,
less the lower-front strap; it forms a "V" across the chest when in use.
The above features would be enough safety advancements in one concept vehicle
to satisfy most manufacturers. But not Volvo. The SCC also includes a number
of personal security functions that ensure driver safety beyond the actual driving
experience. These are made available to the operator by way of an advanced remote
control called the Volvo Personal Communicator (VPC).
The VPC remote unit has a built-in fingerprint sensor that identifies the operator.
Not only does this lock out potential unauthorized users of the vehicle, but
the remote can be programmed to identify multiple drivers, so an entire family,
for instance, can use the same remote, while no one else would be able to access
the vehicle. This opens up a whole world of programming functions via the remote.
For example, as soon as the remote identifies a driver, the VCP immediately
communicates this to the vehicle, whereupon the car automatically adjusts the
steering wheel, seating position and more to the settings of that particular
driver. By the time the driver slides behind the wheel, the car is ready to
go.
Additionally, the remote can be programmed to perform a number of telematics
functions, such as emergency notification in the event of an accident. In this
manner, it functions as an extension of Volvo's On-Call service (similar to
GM's OnStar), a telematics-based service that offers everything from emergency
roadside assistance to a vehicle locator.
We found the SCC to be an impressive concept vehicle, loaded with the promise
of future technology. We'll keep you posted as Ford and Volvo begin to incorporate
some of these technologies into new vehicles.
Here are several related links that might be of interest:
Prepare to Get Belted by Ford
Top 10 High-Tech Car Safety Technologies
Saab's Real-Life Crash
Testing Pays Off
The Evolution of Front Airbags
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