Tag: #volvo

Techlabs – Ireland’s Ultimate Tech Playground in Dublin’s RDS This Weekend

TechLabs, Ireland’s only expo dedicated to the latest in consumer tech, electronics, and lifestyle, has announced an exciting roster of additional household brand names and unmissable experiences for its upcoming event on Saturday, 18 October at Dublin’s RDS.

Dubbed as Ireland’s ultimate tech playground, the show will feature leading brands including Volvo, Dyson, Samsung, JBL and Tesla alongside additional interactive experiences such as the adrenaline-fuelled Formula 1 Sim Racing Competition and immersive roaming VR experiences.

TechLabs promises an immersive, future-forward showcase for anyone eager to discover the next big thing in technology and lifestyle. From an indoor drone display to the Tesla Optimus Gen 2 Robot, step into the future of technology under one roof.

Up to 10,000 tech enthusiasts are expected to explore cutting-edge innovations from these leading global brands in consumer electronics and smart technology. With Porsche and Harvey Norman already confirmed, TechLabs is thrilled to unveil even more highlights:

  • The ES90 Irish Debut – Volvo’s newest all-electric car powered by next-generation core computers, will be revealed to the Irish public for the first time
  • Lifestyle and Luxury – get up close with the latest speedboats and motorbikes, perfect for motoring and speed enthusiasts
  • Innovation Stage – live product reviews, interactive demos, and special guest speakers will share insider insights and unveil next-gen tech

What’s more – joining the already packed show floor of cutting-edge innovation are Hisense, the global leader in smart TVs and home entertainment showcasing Ireland’s largest TV; Eufy, known for its sleek smart-home gadgets from robotic vacuums to security cameras, Total Rethink, an Irish brand championing sustainable, low-waste tech and lifestyle products, and Telefunken, the legendary German name in premium audio and consumer electronics. TechLabs arrives just in time for visitors eager to test-drive the latest products ahead of Black Friday deals and the Christmas shopping season to spark some gift inspiration for the tech lover in your life.

TechLabs is created by the organisers of GamerFest, Ireland’s leading games convention which has welcomed over 35,000 gamers to the RDS, and the NEXUS Games Conference, a leading games industry conference bringing together global decision makers and industry leaders.

CEO of TechLabs, Stuart Dempsey, says: Techlabs is about bringing the future into the present and making it accessible for everyone. We’re creating Ireland’s tech playground – a space where families, enthusiasts and industry professionals can experience the latest innovations, explore world-class brands, and get hands on with the technology shaping tomorrow.”

www.techlabsexpo.ie

Volvo Cars “ultimate driving simulator” uses latest gaming technology to develop safer cars. #Volvo #Motoring

Volvo Cars engineers call it “the ultimate driving simulator”, but it is not just an excuse for them to indulge their inner basement gamer. Instead, the Swedish company’s ground-breaking mixed-reality simulator is used to make new strides in safety and autonomous driving technology.

A setup with a moving driving seat, a steering wheel with haptic feedback and a crystal-clear virtual reality headset would make any serious gamer jealous, but Volvo Cars’ simulator takes this concept to the next level, making it hard to tell reality from simulation. Which is exactly the point.

Using cutting-edge technology from the leading real-time 3D development platform Unity and Finnish virtual and mixed reality experts Varjo, the simulator involves driving a real car on real roads. It combines life-like, high definition 3D graphics, an augmented reality headset, and a full-body Teslasuit that provides haptic feedback from a virtual world, while also monitoring bodily reactions.

This combination of software and hardware allows Volvo Cars engineers to endlessly simulate traffic scenarios on a real test track road while using a real car, all in total safety. Engineers can gain important insights on the interaction between people and the car for development of new safety, driver assistance and autonomous driving features.

Testers can be exposed to imagined active safety and driver assistance features, upcoming autonomous drive user interfaces, future car models and many other scenarios. It can be used on real test track roads or in the test lab, and every scenario is fully customizable. The possibilities are literally endless.

Volvo Cars “ultimate driving simulator” uses latest gaming technology to develop safer cars

Volvo Cars “ultimate simulator” was demonstrated yesterday in an event live-streamed from Volvo’s Open Innovation Arena and hosted by a team of its innovation experts. You can watch the event on demand HERE.

Last year, together with Varjo, Volvo Cars became the first car maker to make it possible to drive a real car while wearing a mixed reality headset. Now that collaboration has been expanded to include Unity and full-body haptic suit maker Teslasuit.

According to Casper Wickman, senior leader of User Experience at Volvo’s Open Innovation Arena and one of the hosts of the livestream, this enables Volvo Cars to study authentic human reactions in a safe environment and at a fraction of the cost of a real test.

“Working together with great companies like Varjo, Unity and Teslasuit has allowed us to test so many scenarios that look and feel totally real, without having to physically build anything,” says Casper Wickman. “It lets us test drive actual cars in through traffic scenarios that look and feel real, but can be adjusted at the touch of a button.”

When developing safety systems for cars, like collision-avoiding technologies, testing is crucial. But testing these systems in reality can be dangerous, time-consuming and expensive. Virtual and mixed reality simulations, however, allow for perfectly safe testing in authentic environments, without having to build any physical prototypes or set up complex scenarios.

“By using this cutting-edge technology, we are exploring and leading the development for creating safe cars in the future. It’s great to play a part in that,” said Casper Wickman.

Watch the full livestream recording here and download the summary video of the event here.

Is In-Car Technology The Answer To Being Safer On The Roads? #RSA #Volvo #Motoring

1.3 million people die globally in traffic each year. Last year in Ireland there were *137 fatal collisions resulting in 148 fatalities on Irish roads. Leaders in safety, Volvo Cars, has saved a million lives since it first introduced the 3-point safety belt in 1959, which was invented by Nils Bohlin, a Volvo engineer. Now, Volvo Cars is committed to saving a million more lives and reducing road traffic deaths to zero through technological solutions. 

 

Driver Monitoring Camera  

Volvo Cars is working on new in-car solutions to help address intoxication and distraction in traffic, one of which is a Driver Monitoring Camera, which will be introduced on Volvo’s next generation SPA2 (Scalable Product Architecture)  platform in 2022. The Driver Monitoring Camera, together with other sensors, will allow the car to intervene when a clearly intoxicated or distracted driver risks serious injury or death. This new system will keep track of the driver’s visual behaviour, (eye movements and control, pupil reactions, scanning behaviour), reaction times, and other driving control behaviours to monitor if the driver is engaged in driving. If the system detects a pattern of vision and attention impairment, (e.g. specific eye movements and eye closures), along with other serious loss of driving control, the car will then go through three phases of help. 

 

  • Phase One: The car will first engage safety support systems to shield from consequences and encourage the driver to drive with care through information and warnings. 
  • Phase Two: If there is no improvement for an extended period, the car will then intervene by slowing down and for example contacting Volvo On Call for assistance services, if it detects that the driver’s behaviour will lead to severe dangers. 
  • Phase Three: Lastly, the car will eventually intervene and safely park on the side of the road.

Please see further information below and a very moving campaign video which highlights the importance the safety belt and the fact that ideas that change the world are often the most controversial.

 

Speed Cap

Data from the Road Safety Authority says that 2019 saw an increase in driver fatalities on the previous year, with the majority of fatalities occurring on higher speed roads. And, in a speed survey conducted by the RSA in 2018, *52% of drivers monitored were breaking the speed limit on urban roads, 27% on rural roads, and 23% on motorways. This year, to send a strong signal about the dangers of speeding, Volvo Cars has reduced the top speed of all new cars to 180 km/h, and it is looking at how smart speed control and geofencing technology could automatically limit speeds near schools and hospitals in the future.  

 

Volvo Driver Assistance System  

“It is easy to think that phones and screens are the only scourge of the modern driver, but life as a whole is distracting,” said Malin Ekholm, head of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “We know people do not get distracted on purpose, but it happens. You could be late for daycare and somewhat stressed. Or you get behind the wheel after a bad day at work. All this affects you as a driver. The reality is that people want to engage with friends, family, work and entertainment, and everyone responds differently to distraction. So, we want to meet our customers where they are, not where we want them to be. That is why our focus is on using technology in the right way, so we can use it to help you stay safe behind the wheel.” 

 

The Volvo driver assistance system can detect and help avoid a collision with other vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists. The systems support drivers with audible, visible, and brake pulse warnings when needed, and if a collision is imminent or if the driver should turn into the path of an oncoming vehicle in an intersection, the car can brake automatically. Also, inside the cabin of the new XC40 Recharge (expected in Ireland mid 2021), is an advanced voice control on Volvo Cars’ new Android-powered infotainment system, which allows drivers to control the temperature, set a destination, play their favourite music and podcasts or call their mum on her birthday – all while keeping their hands on the wheel.

“Being able to control key features on your Volvo by voice allows you to keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road,” said Malin Ekholm. “Active safety systems such as City Safety, Run-off Road Mitigation and Oncoming Lane Mitigation with steer assist can act as an extra pair of eyes watching over you.” 

Under its new company purpose, Volvo Cars aims to provide customers with the Freedom to Move in a personal, sustainable, and safe way. This purpose is reflected into a number of business ambitions: for example, by the middle of this decade it aims for half of its global sales to be fully electric cars and to establish five million direct consumer relationships. Volvo Cars is also committed to an ongoing reduction of its carbon footprint, with the ambition to be a climate-neutral company by 2040.