VolvoS60
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Volvo's driverless road train in Spain is public mainly on the plain (video)
It's been awhile since we saw Volvo's SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) project, which was last running out of harm's way on a test track near Gothenburg. Volvo has just taken a big step forward in fostering confidence by conducting its road train on public asphalt. The 124-mile Spanish test both proved that the cars could stay driverless without posing a threat and upped the ante for what the cars could do: the lead truck, an S60, a V60 and an XC60 all moved along at a brisk 53MPH with a tighter gap between vehicles than there was in the original test, at just 20 feet. SARTRE was so successful in the public run that Volvo is now focusing on far less contentious issues -- like making sure fuel use drops by the promised 20 percent. There's still the looming question of making a viable business model, though Volvo's dream if realized will make sure no driverless car has to go solo.
Volvo S60 features pedestrian tracking, ten years too late for Lizzie Grubman
We've recently espied some new video detailing Volvo's pedestrian detection system, and while some of this info has been out for a while now we figure it's certainly more than cool enough to warrant a quick look. According to a freshly minted press release, the technology is being featured on the upcoming S60, which -- in addition to the newest in collision detection and auto-braking -- can spot pedestrians who step in front of the car, warn the driver, and automatically apply full braking power if the driver does not respond in time. Vehicles traveling under 22 MPH should be able to come to a complete stop, while anything traveling faster than that will see its speed significantly reduced. You can get an up close and personal look at it this March at the Geneva Motor Show. In the mean time, there's a video and some PR after the break to tide you over. [Thanks, Drew S.]
