Volvo Plans on LiDAR Sensors in All New Cars for Improved Safety

Recently, Volvo announced that they intend to install LiDAR systems onto all new vehicles to help identify potential dangers at extreme distances. What advantages does LiDAR present over other sensing technologies, what exactly did Volvo announce, and what other sensor technologies exist that could help vehicle safety?

What advantages does LiDAR present over other sensing technologies?

When it comes to vehicular safety, practising a few simple rules can dramatically reduce fatalities while also reducing the chances of incidences occurring. For example, those driving BMWs have a special lever on the side of the wheel called an indicator which informs other drivers of lane-changing intention, while those in Land Rovers can utilise dials to point headlights down to prevent blinding other drivers. At the same time, the average driver can utilise the “dutch reach”, which forces drivers to look at their wing mirrors before opening doors and keeping phones in the backseats will remove any temptation for the driver to take their eyes off the road.

But even the most alert humans are prone to errors and mistakes, and these errors are often amplified during bad driving conditions such as low light conditions, rain, and fog. In these cases, technology becomes the only practical method for avoiding accidents and fatalities, which is why vehicles have seen numerous advances over the past decade which help to provide early warning systems to drivers.

LiDAR is one technology that shows a tremendous amount of promise thanks to its long-range ability while simultaneously being able to operate in poor conditions. Like RADAR, LiDAR is a time of flight measurement whereby the time for a laser beam to hit its target and reflect is measured using a high-speed microcontroller. Considering that the speed of light is known, the distance between the reflection and the vehicle becomes a simple case of speed multiplied by time. 

Since LiDAR systems can detect objects at great distances (in excess of 100 meters), it can provide a vehicle with ample time to detect an obstacle that may otherwise be too difficult to see. Furthermore, the combination of 3D maps produced by LiDAR and AI can even allow vehicles to recognise objects in the road and try to characterise what those objects are. Finally, the combination of historical data can allow LiDAR to determine the relative speed of detected objects and thus only react to objects headed towards the vehicle. 

Volvo intends to integrate LiDAR into all new vehicles

While LiDAR has been seen in some vehicles (mainly those that have self-driving capabilities), their use in vehicles is far and few between. However, Volvo has recently stated that it intends to integrate LiDAR into all of its new vehicles in its continuing attempt to pursue no fatalities in Volvo vehicles.

The new LiDAR technology will be integrated into its upcoming XC90 range of electric SUVs called the EX90 and will allow the vehicle to spot a black tyre against a black road over 120 meters away and see pedestrians over 250 meters away. According to Volvo, the new system is expected to reduce collisions by up to 9% while reducing fatalities by 20%. 

However, Volvo is not the only manufacturer looking into LiDAR systems; Mercedes-Benz and BMW are also planning to introduce LiDAR systems into their vehicles to improve safety while also trying to keep up with Volvo technology. On the note of safety, Volvo is well known for making the three-point seatbelt free for anyone to copy and has helped to save millions of lives as a result; in line with this thinking, Volvo is potentially looking at making the LiDAR system available to other manufacturers. 

Of course, Elon Musk believes that only cameras are needed because that’s how humans operate vehicles; but of course, humans only using eyes means that they can’t see in the dark, find it hard to distinguish distant objects, and have limited peripheral capabilities.

What other sensing technologies can help improve vehicle safety?

While cameras and LiDAR provide excellent safety capabilities, there are numerous other technologies that vehicles can benefit from. RADAR is a viable option for long-range sensing for vehicles as it can travel great distances. Of course, RADAR has issues with resolution due to the increased wavelength, but the ability to detect moving objects at a distance can give vehicles even more time to react. 

Short-range sensing can easily be done with the use of SONAR via ultrasonic transducers. The low-cost nature of these devices allows for a vehicle to have many of these sensors dotted around. Such sensors are ideal for parking and detecting neighbouring vehicles, which also aids in self-driving setups. 

Finally, a more unusual sensor approach is to make use of networks and GPS to create a vehicle-to-everything system. Simply put, if all vehicles on the road were fitted with a cellular-connected platform that can report the speed and position of a vehicle, this data is routed to all nearby vehicles that can then use that data to determine potential collisions with other active vehicles. This would also be beneficial for cars broken down needing to inform others that they are stuck on the road, as well as traffic controllers on smart motorways who can close off lanes,

Overall, many technologies currently exist that could significantly improve vehicle safety, and LiDAR is by far one of the best.