There are far too many things capable of distracting drivers on the road, and most of them are inside the car itself. Self-driving cars will solve that problem in the future, but for now car companies have to work with the standard human-operated vehicles. Volvo has developed a system that will identify when a driver is distracted, inattentive, or falling asleep.

A sensor on the dashboard will monitor the direction of a driver’s gaze, his head position, and how open his eyes are. If the driver starts to nod off or is so distracted that the car starts drifting into another lane, the car itself will take corrective action. It can wake a sleepy driver, alert a distracted driver that his car is too close to the one in front of it, or correct the course of a drifting car.

Because it can approximate a driver’s state, the car can anticipate when safety measures might need to be engaged. In case of an impending accident, the car’s safety systems can be initiated earlier for a distracted driver than they might be for a non-distracted driver. Volvo is quick to point out that information about the driver’s face and actions is not recorded or stored in any way; the in-dash sensors are simply there to provide a second-by-second safety backup to help cut down on distraction-related accidents.

The post Volvo’s In-Dash Facial Recognition Stops Distracted Driving first appeared on Gajitz.

The Volvo V60 is the world’s first diesel hybrid plug-in car. To celebrate this, the company held an architecture competition called “Switch to Pure Volvo.” The winners have been re-tooling their design and have finally unveiled an interesting, not to mention cool-looking, portable car charging station.

Synthesis Design + Architecture, the winners of the competition, built what they call the ‘Pure Tension’ pavilion. It’s a beautiful awning with a shape like a warped circle and the ability to generate enough solar power to charge the car. The original goal of the minimum amount needed to charge the car was 300 watts; the current model produces 450.

Flexible photovoltaic vinyl tiles, 252 of them to be exact, cover the surface of the mesh for optimal sun exposure. Since the flaw behind solar absorption is that it’s only as powerful as its weakest link, Pure Tension disables the parts of the pavilion that don’t receive enough energy, thus providing maximum efficiency.

Only slightly more impressive than the design is the Pure Tension’s portability. It was built from 24 parts, and along with the CNC bent aluminum frame, the skin folds into ‘B-cases’ that are a tidy 65″ x 15″ x 15″. The membrane, which does the absorbing, comes in two sections that zip together. The pavilion weighs a totals of 150 lbs.

The post You Can Take it With You: New Volvo Charger Fits In Trunk first appeared on Gajitz.

A car versus pedestrian accident is a nightmare for everyone involved, but new technology from Volvo could reduce the likelihood of the pedestrian sustaining serious injuries. The car company recently began selling the world’s first external airbag-equipped car. The Australian version of the Volvo V40 features a pedestrian protection system. This system consists of sensors in the front of the car and an airbag that pops up from under the hood.

The sensors detect when a pedestrian has been hit, which in turn causes the external airbag to pop up instantly. The airbag is meant to protect the pedestrian from head injuries, which are the most common cause of death in car versus pedestrian accidents. Pedestrians will be protected in the case of an accident with a Volvo V40, but the driver will have to fork over $3000 (Australian) to replace the setup after an accident occurs and the airbag deploys.

The post A Safer Sedan: Volvo Offers First Car With Pedestrian Airbag first appeared on Gajitz.