Volvo, recognized for their uncompromising dedication to vehicle safety, has broken new ground with their new smart seatbelt design that adapts to whoever’s sitting in the seat. Volvo introduced the revolutionary three-point seatbelt that’s credited with saving over a million lives in 1959. They followed that up with their side impact protection system in 1991 and whiplash protection system in 1998, which protect vehicle occupants during a collision. All are now standard features on all cars and trucks.
The Swedish carmaker’s new 2026 Volvo EX60 Crossover will come with a smart seatbelt system that customizes protection for the driver and each individual passenger compartment occupant. Follow along as a Volvo expert describes how this new amazing new seatbelt system functions.
How Is Volvo’s Smart Seatbelt Different?
Conventional seatbelts apply the same amount of force to all occupants to protect vehicle occupants during a crash. According to Francois Meucci, Service Manager at Faulkner Volvo, “the new innovative smart seatbelt system uses numerous sensors to evaluate passenger and driver height, weight, body shape, and seating posture.” Meucci adds, “Sensors also measure crash severity in real time to increase passenger and driver protection.”
The smart seatbelt system will incorporate 11 different passenger profiles for better customization. Volvo’s adaptive seatbelt technology also uses machine learning and real-time sensor data to enhance the system. For example, it increases seatbelt tension pressure for larger passengers to lower the risk of head injuries. Seatbelt tension for smaller occupants will be significantly less to protect against fractured ribs. The new seatbelt system will download software updates to improve and refine overall performance and keep the system up-to-date.
What Can Volvo’s Smart Seatbelt Detect?
In addition to its own dedicated driver monitoring and occupant detection sensors, “smart seatbelts are linked to the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS),” says Meucci. This provides better crash detection and triggers safety measures through a vehicle-coordinated systemwide response.
In real time, using ADAS GPS data, cameras, radar, ultrasonic, impact, laser, deceleration and crash sensors help the smart seatbelt system identify a potential crash and then will individually adjust for each passenger airbag deployment and seatbelt pretensioners and tensioners based on crash severity—if there is a collision. Other sensors include:
- Pressure sensors: Detect rapid changes in the passenger compartment air pressure, usually meaning the doors have popped opened in a side crash.
- Accelerometer sensors: Measure sudden acceleration caused by a front or rear collision.
- Acoustic sensors: Detect the sound waves created during an impact.
How Does the Smart Belt Keep Drivers Safer?
Volvo’s smart belt system is an active system that uses real-time interior and exterior sensor data to customize crash protection for each occupant in the vehicle in case of a collision. In addition to occupant sensors, “crash sensors can determine impact direction, speed, and severity to make custom adjustments to the seatbelt tension, and airbag deployment during a collision,” says Meucci. Airbag deployment takes place 20–50 milliseconds after a crash has been detected. The smart seatbelt system instantly adjusts and produces just the correct amount of restraint for each occupant before the airbag completely inflates. Reacting faster than humans prevents injuries and deaths. Meucci adds, “ADAS helps reduce the number of accidents while smart seatbelt technology enhances safety systems.”
FAQ
Will Volvo share the patent for their new smart belt?
It’s unclear if Volvo will share the patent for its new smart belt. In 1959, Volvo freely shared the patent on its pioneering new three-point seatbelt—acknowledged as an act of corporate responsibility—which has been credited with saving over one million lives. However, smart seatbelt technology is a partnership between Volvo and ZF Lifetec. With the patent owned by both companies, as of this writing, neither has committed to an open patent.
Experts
Francois Meucci has spent over 40 years working in every sector of the automotive repair industry. He is a Volvo certified body and automotive repair technician and currently is the Service Manager at Faulkner Volvo Cars, located in Trevose, PA. (Phone interview June 16, 2025)
Resources
- Car and Driver: “2026 Volvo EX60 Debuts New Seatbelt Design That Adapts to You“
- Forbes: “Volvo’s Gift To The World, Modern Seat Belts Have Saved Millions Of Lives“
- Patent Pandas: “Open vs. Closed Patents“
- TechStory: “Volvo Reinvents the Seatbelt Again: Smart Safety Tech Debuts on EX60“
- Volvo Buses: “The three-point seat belt – an innovation that saved over 1 million lives“
- Volvo Cars: “Safety is in our DNA“
- WardsAuto: “Volvo Launches AI-Driven Seat-Belt system“
Related
- Do You Know What That Little Button on Your Seat Belt Is For?
- What Those Lines on Your Backup Camera Really Tell You
- Here’s What The Small Panel On Your Car’s Front Bumper Is For
The post Volvo Just Fixed a Problem You Didn’t Know Seatbelts Had appeared first on Family Handyman.
Article source here: Volvo Just Fixed a Problem You Didn’t Know Seatbelts Had
No comments:
Post a Comment