Next-gen Volvo cars to benefit from advanced autonomous driving technology

KUALA LUMPUR: Taking technology and advanced safety features to new heights, Volvo has decided to collaborate with Luminar, an autonomous vehicle sensor and software firm. Under the partnership, the later would provide its industry-leading light detection and range (lidar) technology to next-generation Volvo cars.

It would be Volvo’s first fully self-driving technology for highways and it ushers in a new advancement in car safety technology.

Starting in 2022, Volvo will equip its next-gen SPA 2 modular vehicle architecture with hardware designed for autonomous drive. As for the Luminar lidar tech, it will be integrated on the roof.

Vehicles with SPA-2 architecture will have a Highway Pilot feature that will allow fully-autonomous highway driving. The said feature will get activated once it is confirmed safe for the concerned geographic location and condition.

Henrik Green, Volvo Cars chief technology officer, said, “Autonomous drive has the potential to be one of the most lifesaving technologies in history if introduced responsibly and safely. Providing our future cars with the vision they require to make safe decisions is an important step in that direction.”

Besides the Highway Pilot Feature, Volvo and Luminar are also working on innovative ways to use LiDAR tech in the vehicles for improving future advanced driver assistance systems.

Understanding Lidar Technology

Lidar stands for light detection and range, and it is considered the future of mapping technology. Its working is almost similar to radar, but instead of radio waves, it emits infrared light pulses that are invisible to naked eyes. All these complex activities are done in a millionth of a second. All the results then reach a cloud that works like a 3D map of the world. This map can accurately detect spot objects and even vehicles drive at high speeds and in complex environments. All these functions are performed in real-time without the use of an internet connection.

In short, the lidar technology is the future of autonomous driving. It provides the vehicles with an accurate vision and that too in different perspectives - something that’s impossible with radars and cameras.

Green further added, “Soon, your Volvo will be able to drive autonomously on highways, when the car determines it is safe to do so. At that point, your Volvo takes responsibility for the driving, and you can relax, take your eyes off the road and your hands off the wheel. Over time, updates over the air will expand the areas in which the car can drive itself. For us, a safe introduction of autonomy is a gradual introduction.”

Also Read: Book a Volvo car online & get a complimentary Polestar Optimisation package