Volvo: more driving safety thanks to simulators and video games

Technology is increasingly becoming an element of fundamental importance during the design and development of a car. Not only to improve comfort and performance, but also to increase active and passive safety. Volvo has always been committed to finding solutions that allow you to travel in total serenity (the invention of the seat belt is due to the Swedish company); a path that continues today with the use of advanced software and computer programs.

Volvo engineers worked for a long time on a driving simulation program that made it possible to assess risks and statistics with extreme accuracy related to accidents and dangerous situations. It is a program similar to a video game which, through an augmented reality viewer, allows you to live an experience similar to reality, then processing the data to transfer them to real cars.

Simulation and reality

Volvo uses advanced virtual reality software to carry out simulations as accurate as possible in the event of unforeseen events, accidents and tests on the driver assistance systems. In this way, possible dangerous situations for engineers and testers involved in development are limited and very useful data is obtained to predict in a rather reliable way the behavior of the car and the reaction of passengers in certain circumstances.

La core platform is provided by Unity. The seat used by Volvo is very similar to that of a normal car: the seat, the steering wheel and the console are the same as found on the XC, V or S series models. In this way, the experience is as close to reality as possible, allowing technicians to analyze a significant amount of data which will then be compared with those obtained from road tests.

Motion Capture

The level of simulation achieved by Volvo is of the highest level also due to the use of motion capture suits. Made by Teslasuit, they are tools that allow you to evaluate the bodily reactions of the wearer, returning very important data for the development of safety systems but also to improve comfort and life on board the car.

In this way, it is possible to evaluate the reactions to an accident and the conditions of stress and discomfort when getting stuck in traffic, allowing Volvo engineers to find solutions that on the one hand improve safety and on the other allow the driver to pass more peacefully the time lost among other cars. Virtual reality allows you to place the car in any context, ensuring development suitable for most conditions. After analyzing all the data returned by the virtual experience, Volvo proceeds with tests in reality in the test circuit closed to traffic. This is where what the software has anticipated becomes concrete, reaching a next level of security and functionality.