Volvo is revealing the first big advancement to seat belts in years. It's a new multi-adaptive safety belt that uses world-first technology to enhance safety for everyone in real-world traffic situations. Volvo says the new safety belt is designed to better protect people by adapting to traffic variations and the person wearing it, thanks to real-time data from the car’s advanced sensors. Of course, it's only fitting Volvo be the one to debut such a thing, as back in 1959 it introduced the modern three-point seatbelt that is used in cars today.
“The world first multi-adaptive safety belt is another milestone for automotive safety and a great example of how we leverage real-time data with the ambition to help save millions of more lives,” says Åsa Haglund, head of Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “This marks a major upgrade to the modern three-point safety belt, a Volvo invention introduced in 1959, estimated to have saved over a million lives.”
Here's how it works. Thanks to cutting-edge technology, the new multi-adaptive safety belt can use data input from interior and exterior sensors to customize protection. In other wise, it can adapting the setting based on the situation and individual’s profiles, such as their height, weight, body shape and seating position. 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 says this is achieved by significantly increasing the number of so-called load-limiting profile variations, which manage the force a safety belt applies to the occupants during a crash. This new safety belt expands the load-limiting profiles from three to eleven and increases the possible number of settings, enabling it to optimize performance for each situation and individual. Thanks to over-the-air software updates, it gets better over time.
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Unlike traditional systems, the new multi-adaptive safety belt can utilize data from different sensors, including exterior, interior, and crash sensors. In less than a blink of an eye, the car’s system analyses the unique characteristics of a crash – such as direction, speed, and passenger posture – and shares that information with the safety belt. Based on this data, the system selects the most appropriate setting.
The new seat belt was tested and further developed at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre crash lab, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. In the lab, which Volvo cites as industry-leading, Volvo Cars’ safety engineers can recreate almost any traffic accident and perform tests that exceed regulatory requirements for real-world safety. Volvo says its multifunctional facility has been essential in maintaining its position as a leader in automotive safety. Volvo says it pioneering Volvo Cars Safety Standard exceeds official testing requirements.
The new seat belt will debut in the all-electric Volvo EX60 due out in 2026.
Photo: Volvo Cars.