As we move into a ‘smart’ era where everything from coffee machines and houseplants are capable of communicating with their human owners, it would make sense to focus the IoT infrastructure on creating products that aren’t just the latest and greatest in technology, but also serve a purpose such as…saving lives?
Using their existing IntelliSafe safety system, which aims to make driving in the city safer, Volvo Cars has teamed up with both Ericcson and sports gear manufacturer POC to develop a smart helmet that alerts bicyclists of a potential collision, which was revealed at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2015) in Las Vegas.
According to the companies, “50% of all cyclists killed in European traffic have collided with a car” and “[The USA] has nearly 50,000 cyclist fatalities and injuries a year”. The helmet design uses wearable technology to establish a two-way communication with an oncoming Volvo to notify both the cyclist and the driver of a potential collision once either has entered the other’s proximity.
“The partnership between Volvo Cars, POC and Ericsson is an important milestone in investigating the next steps towards Volvo Cars’ vision to build cars that will not crash,” said Klas Bendrik, Volvo Cars’ CIO. “But now, by exploring cloud-based safety systems, we are getting ever closer to eliminating the remaining blind spots between cars and cyclists and by that avoid collisions.”
Check out more at Volvo Cars’ IntelliSafe System.
