Volvo has introduced a new seat belt technology that can customize the protection it provides in real time. The “multi-adaptive seatbelt” system, as the automaker calls it, uses data from internal and external sensors to change the protection settings depending on various factors. It can take into account a person’s height, weight, body shape, and seating position, as well as the direction and speed of the vehicle. The system can transmit all this information to the seat belt in an instant so that it can optimize the passenger’s protection.
For example, if the occupant is on the larger side, they will receive a higher seatbelt load to reduce the risk of head injury in the event of a serious crash. In milder collisions, a person with a smaller body size will receive a lower level of seatbelt load to prevent rib injuries. Volvo did not specify whether the system also takes into account the position of the seat belt for women, as it is not always located directly on the chest. However, the automaker explained that the system expands the number of load limiting profiles to 11. Load limiters control the force with which the seat belt acts on the body during an accident. Typically, seat belts have only three load limiting profiles, but Volvo has expanded the number to 11, which means that the system can better optimize the protection that the passenger receives.
In developing the new seat belt, Volvo used information from five decades of safety research, as well as a database of more than 80,000 people involved in real-world accidents. The system was also designed with improvements in mind, which will be implemented through software updates that the company plans to release as new data and insights become available.
“The world’s first multi-adaptive seatbelt is another milestone in automotive safety and a great example of how we are using real-time data to help save millions of lives,” said Åsa Haglund, Head of Safety Center, Volvo Cars. “This is a significant upgrade to the modern three-point seat belt, a Volvo invention introduced in 1959 that is estimated to have saved more than a million lives.”
Volvo engineer Niels Bolin developed the modern three-point seat belt and made his patent available for use by other automakers. The company has not said whether it will be as generous with multi-adaptive seat belts, but the new system will debut in Volvo’s all-electric EX60 midsize SUV sometime next year.
