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Volvo, Inventor of the Seatbelt, Does it Again
In 1959, Volvo’s Nils Bohlin invented the three-point seatbelt for cars and now the Swedes have given the safety device its most radical overhaul in seven decades.
Volvo says its new multi-adaptive belt analyzes data from a suite of internal and external sensors to adapt the belt’s operation to the situation and seat occupant’s body. In Volvo safety speak, that means the number of “load-limiting profile variations” has been dramatically increased. Today’s seatbelts already use this load-limiting to control how much force the belt applies in an accident, but the new system raises the number of settings from three to 11, with more possible in the future through over-the-air software updates.
This means the seatbelt operation can be more accurately tailored to the occupant and the nature of the impact. For example, a larger person in a high-speed crash would get a higher belt load to reduce the possibility of a head injury, while a smaller person in a minor fender-bender would get a lighter load to avoid injuring their ribs.
“The world first multi-adaptive safety belt is another milestone for automotive safety and a great example of how we leverage real-time data with the ambition to help save millions of more lives,” says Åsa Haglund, head of Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “This marks a major upgrade to the modern three-point safety belt, a Volvo invention introduced in 1959, estimated to have saved over a million lives.”
Developed at the Volvo Cars Safety Center crash lab, which has been staging accidents for 25 years, as well as analyzing more than 80,000 real-world crashes, the multi-adaptive safety belt will be introduced in the next EX60 electric Volvo in 2026. Hopefully, as it did in 1959, Volvo will also release the patent so other carmakers and drivers can benefit.
Cool to see the improvements that could be possible with this belt.
Awesome, but sadly there are still too many idiots out there that believe the myth that seatbelts are more deadly, and who will not benefit from this.
It`s called natural selection. Don`t give it another thought.
And it’s fail-proof – right?
So just plain inertia reels are no longer good enough? Too much stuff here, plus the electonics, to go wrong. Volvo’s always been on the leading edge, but “if it ani’t broke – don’t fix it
I had a 1961 Volvo PV544 bought in 1962. I had a lap only belt back then. I didn’t know about three point belts until many years later. I agree with some of the above comments. Too much technology and another electronic device to deal with.
Looks like a LOOOOT of extra crap to possibly go wrong or fail, not to mention the software controlling it and it’s potential problems. Pass.
Interesting, mostly because of Volvo’s on-site response when real-world crashes happen in their part of Europe. I would challenge every car maker to do the same, in the interest of transparency. Progressive design culture sometimes gets the same negative feedback as preventative maintenance. Many dont see the value until failure happens from not taking action. Much like the medical science of the last 75 years, having a dramatic influence on humanity doubling its numbers over just the last 50. How many car company’s CEOs have publicly shown respect and gratitude towards Volvo for sharing great safety designs?
Well , I would make seatbelts wider in the places most crash pressure is applied ie my ribs and pelvis
I was in a crash, hit from behind, & the seatbelt crushed my collar bone inward. Now I only have one side visible & have extra trouble breathing.
Better safety is great, but out on the edge of the world where we run cars for a lot longer than Europe, I don’t want to end up after an accident with a seatbelt unit that costs more to replace than my car is worth.
I recently rebuilt the seat belts in a 2004 ranger. The procedure required a lot of tools and parts. Let’s not make it more difficult.