Volvo have teamed up with Swedish sports and safety brand POC to crash-test cycle helmets against cars with the objective of protecting cyclists on roads.
The crash-tests that Volvo and POC will perform will be the first of their kind. Volvo have been working on technology to protect cyclists and make their cars safer. Cyclist detection with full auto brake uses the car’s cameras and radar sensors to detect cyclists,which warn the driver of an imminent collision and apply the brakes autonomously if further action is needed. This is a development of Volvo Cars automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection systems, in line with its safety vision.
This partnership consists of a variety of crash-tests and research that will be conducted at Volvo’s safety research facilities and is part of a wider research project to understand the types of long-term injuries that cyclists suffer from. POC helmets will be worn by the crash-test dummies and they will be launched at different speeds and angles towards various areas of the car so research can be conducted and improvements can be made where they need to.
Currently, cycle helmets are tested just by dropping them from different heights on different surfaces, which doesn’t allow them to take cycle and car impacts into consideration. POC and Volvo aim at further advancing and refining these tests.
Oscar Huss, head of product development at POC says, “Much like Volvo Cars, safety is at the very centre of our mission and drives all our ideas and innovations,” In recent years Volvo Cars have focused on protecting people outside their cars to reduce accidents. Volvo Cars had launched its pedestrian detection with full autobrake in 2010 and cyclist detection with full auto brake in 2013. Both technologies now come as standard in all Volvo cars as part of the City Safety package and have helped to improve overall traffic safety.
Story: Azaman Chothia
