Volvo has opened AstaZero as a test site for traffic safety solutions, in the hopes that by by 2020 no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo car. Volvo has been working with magnets that can be sensed in the snow. The Volvo XC90 has advanced run-off road/brake at intersection and AT&T 4G LTE. Volvo also tests autonomous cars in Gothenburg.
Volvo plans development of active safety systems, to prevent accidents with AstaZero as the premiere proving ground, near Volvo Cars headquarters in western Sweden.
AstaZero offers flexibility and customized environments, simulating all types of real-world traffic scenarios. Test conditions for ADAS features include:
- Busy city roads.
- Highways.
- Multi-lane motorways/freeways and crossroads.
The options to show interaction with moving obstacles such as other cars, pedestrians, cycles, mopeds, motorcycles, trucks, buses and even animals that suddenly appear. In some conditions robots will operate the test vehicles.
The work at AstaZero will also include autonomous driving and an intelligent driver support system Advanced systems are also under progress to further help prevent, for example, inattentiveness and driver fatigue.
Although meeting their target date of 2020 may be an ambitious goal, Volvo Cars has every reason to be optimistic. Indeed, as their innovative safety solutions have already shown, the future may not be that far off.
Volvo earlier this year are experimenting with deliveries to Volvo trunks. Other companies that are working on self-driving autonomous cars include Google, Nissan, Virginia Tech, Ford, GM, Toyota, Xerox and University of Michigan.