How car seatbelts are about to get smarter
Published on: Friday, June 06, 2025
Published on: Fri, Jun 06, 2025
By: ETX Daily Up Text Size: Volvo's new multi-adaptive safety belt is designed to personalise protection for people in different scenarios. (Volvo pic) PARIS: Automaker Volvo has unveiled a new generation of multi-adaptive safety belts designed to better protect all vehicle occupants by adapting to their body shape and to changing traffic conditions. Volvo patented the seat belt that everyone knows today in 1959, ie, a three-point model with a lap belt and a diagonal shoulder belt.
Advertisement The company decided to make the patent royalty-free, and other manufacturers quickly adopted it. Today, Volvo has decided to make the seat belt smarter. Its new model uses a wealth of data collected by internal and external sensors to truly personalise the protection of each occupant. For example, the seat belt adjustment will adapt to the physical characteristics of each individual, such as their height, weight, body type, and, most importantly, their seating position. In the event of a serious crash or sudden braking, a taller person will benefit from a higher tension setting to reduce the risk of head injury. On the other hand, in the event of a milder collision and if the occupant is smaller, the seat belt will be less strained, reducing the risk of rib fractures, for example. All this has been made possible by significantly increasing the number of load-limiting profile variations, which manage the force applied to occupants in the event of an accident. The manufacturer used a database of more than 80,000 occupants involved in real-world accidents to validate this innovation. As such, this new seat belt expands the load-limiting profiles from three to eleven, and increases the possible number of settings to respond to each situation according to occupants' profiles and the speed of the car. This multi-adaptive safety belt is expected to make its debut in the upcoming Volvo EX60, an electric SUV due out in 2026. Volvo also explains that the system will improve over time thanks to future over-the-air software updates.
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The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Volvo introduces world-first multi-adaptive safety belt
VOLVO CARS has unveiled a groundbreaking advancement in occupant protection technology with the debut of its multi-adaptive safety belt, set to launch in the fully electric Volvo EX60 in 2026. This new safety system is designed to provide tailored protection for vehicle occupants by using real-time data from the car's sophisticated sensor array, marking a major evolution of the original three-point safety belt first introduced by Volvo in 1959. Developed to address the diversity of human body types and the unpredictability of real-world collisions, the multi-adaptive safety belt responds dynamically to both individual occupant characteristics and the specifics of each crash scenario. Drawing input from both internal and external sensors, the system calibrates belt tension to suit variables such as a person's height, weight, body shape, and seating posture, as well as the angle and severity of a collision. The innovation lies in the belt's expanded use of load-limiting profiles, increasing the options from three to eleven. This significant leap enables the restraint system to apply a more precise level of force during an accident, balancing the need for secure restraint against the risk of injury from the belt itself. For example, in a serious collision involving a larger occupant, the system may apply a higher load threshold to reduce the chance of head trauma. Conversely, a smaller individual in a lower-impact crash would benefit from a lower load setting to reduce the likelihood of rib fractures. Volvo's ability to make such advancements is rooted in its extensive archive of safety data, comprising over 80,000 real-world accident cases and more than five decades of research. This empirical foundation underpins the Volvo Cars Safety Standard, a benchmark that often exceeds formal regulatory testing criteria. As part of its broader safety ecosystem, the new belt works in conjunction with existing in-car systems, including airbags, occupant monitoring, and driver assistance features. The integration ensures a cohesive response to crash events, providing layered protection and reducing the risk of secondary injuries. What further sets this system apart is its capacity for continuous improvement. Through over-the-air software updates, the safety belt's algorithms will evolve, learning from new data to refine their responses to emerging crash scenarios and more accurately assess the needs of different occupants. Volvo's Head of Safety Centre, Åsa Haglund, highlighted the significance of the innovation, describing it as a pivotal step in the company's mission to enhance traffic safety. She noted that by harnessing real-time data, the system represents a substantial upgrade to the original three-point safety belt—a device already credited with saving over a million lives. The development and testing of the multi-adaptive safety belt have taken place at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre crash laboratory in Gothenburg, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. This advanced testing facility allows engineers to simulate a wide array of crash scenarios, exceeding international standards in order to validate real-world safety effectiveness. Volvo's continued emphasis on occupant diversity and its use of comprehensive data ensures that its vehicles offer protection that reflects the varied realities of everyday traffic. The introduction of the multi-adaptive safety belt is another example of the company's leadership in automotive safety and its commitment to safeguarding all passengers, not just meeting regulations, but anticipating the future of road safety.
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Volvo introduces multi-adaptive safety belt for next-gen EX60 SUV
VOLVO CARS has unveiled a groundbreaking advancement in occupant protection technology with the debut of its multi-adaptive safety belt, set to launch in the fully electric Volvo EX60 in 2026. This new safety system is designed to provide tailored protection for vehicle occupants by using real-time data from the car's sophisticated sensor array, marking a major evolution of the original three-point safety belt first introduced by Volvo in 1959. Developed to address the diversity of human body types and the unpredictability of real-world collisions, the multi-adaptive safety belt responds dynamically to both individual occupant characteristics and the specifics of each crash scenario. Drawing input from both internal and external sensors, the system calibrates belt tension to suit variables such as a person's height, weight, body shape, and seating posture, as well as the angle and severity of a collision. The innovation lies in the belt's expanded use of load-limiting profiles, increasing the options from three to eleven. This significant leap enables the restraint system to apply a more precise level of force during an accident, balancing the need for secure restraint against the risk of injury from the belt itself. For example, in a serious collision involving a larger occupant, the system may apply a higher load threshold to reduce the chance of head trauma. Conversely, a smaller individual in a lower-impact crash would benefit from a lower load setting to reduce the likelihood of rib fractures. Volvo's ability to make such advancements is rooted in its extensive archive of safety data, comprising over 80,000 real-world accident cases and more than five decades of research. This empirical foundation underpins the Volvo Cars Safety Standard, a benchmark that often exceeds formal regulatory testing criteria. As part of its broader safety ecosystem, the new belt works in conjunction with existing in-car systems, including airbags, occupant monitoring, and driver assistance features. The integration ensures a cohesive response to crash events, providing layered protection and reducing the risk of secondary injuries. What further sets this system apart is its capacity for continuous improvement. Through over-the-air software updates, the safety belt's algorithms will evolve, learning from new data to refine their responses to emerging crash scenarios and more accurately assess the needs of different occupants. Volvo's Head of Safety Centre, Åsa Haglund, highlighted the significance of the innovation, describing it as a pivotal step in the company's mission to enhance traffic safety. She noted that by harnessing real-time data, the system represents a substantial upgrade to the original three-point safety belt—a device already credited with saving over a million lives. The development and testing of the multi-adaptive safety belt have taken place at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre crash laboratory in Gothenburg, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. This advanced testing facility allows engineers to simulate a wide array of crash scenarios, exceeding international standards in order to validate real-world safety effectiveness. Volvo's continued emphasis on occupant diversity and its use of comprehensive data ensures that its vehicles offer protection that reflects the varied realities of everyday traffic. The introduction of the multi-adaptive safety belt is another example of the company's leadership in automotive safety and its commitment to safeguarding all passengers, not just meeting regulations, but anticipating the future of road safety.
Daily Express
3 days ago
- Daily Express
How car seatbelts are about to get smarter
Published on: Friday, June 06, 2025 Published on: Fri, Jun 06, 2025 By: ETX Daily Up Text Size: Volvo's new multi-adaptive safety belt is designed to personalise protection for people in different scenarios. (Volvo pic) PARIS: Automaker Volvo has unveiled a new generation of multi-adaptive safety belts designed to better protect all vehicle occupants by adapting to their body shape and to changing traffic conditions. Volvo patented the seat belt that everyone knows today in 1959, ie, a three-point model with a lap belt and a diagonal shoulder belt. Advertisement The company decided to make the patent royalty-free, and other manufacturers quickly adopted it. Today, Volvo has decided to make the seat belt smarter. Its new model uses a wealth of data collected by internal and external sensors to truly personalise the protection of each occupant. For example, the seat belt adjustment will adapt to the physical characteristics of each individual, such as their height, weight, body type, and, most importantly, their seating position. In the event of a serious crash or sudden braking, a taller person will benefit from a higher tension setting to reduce the risk of head injury. On the other hand, in the event of a milder collision and if the occupant is smaller, the seat belt will be less strained, reducing the risk of rib fractures, for example. All this has been made possible by significantly increasing the number of load-limiting profile variations, which manage the force applied to occupants in the event of an accident. The manufacturer used a database of more than 80,000 occupants involved in real-world accidents to validate this innovation. As such, this new seat belt expands the load-limiting profiles from three to eleven, and increases the possible number of settings to respond to each situation according to occupants' profiles and the speed of the car. This multi-adaptive safety belt is expected to make its debut in the upcoming Volvo EX60, an electric SUV due out in 2026. Volvo also explains that the system will improve over time thanks to future over-the-air software updates.
