Remember when Volvo shared its original three-point seat belt design with the world’s other automakers so we could all be safer in our cars? Maybe we’ll get to do the same again with its newest high-tech seat belt. The company has designed a new restraint device for car seats that learns details about you so it can better protect you in the event of an accident.
Created using Volvo’s database of more than 80,000 car crash victims, the belt has an adaptive load limiter (the thing that stops the seat belt from moving if you’re suddenly jerked forward). This allows the belt to adjust the load limit in real time. Sensors on the inside and the outside of the car tell the belt details about the passenger wearing it like height, weight and seating position. Additional sensors both inside and outside the car, as well as specific crash sensors, also feed the belt data about an accident as it's occurring so the belt can make adjustments.
“For example, a larger occupant in a serious crash will receive a higher belt load setting to help reduce the risk of head injury. While a smaller occupant in a milder crash will receive a lower belt load setting to reduce the risk of rib fractures,” Volvo explained in a statement. The belt is also capable of receiving over-the-air software updates so that it can improve over time. It will make its debut in Volvo’s new fully electric EX60 next year.
