Volvo Developing Laser-Guided Technology To Take Over The Driving Part Of Driving

[caption id="attachment_35063" align="aligncenter" width="555" caption="The futuristic steering wheel of Volvo's S60 Concept, revealed at the Detroit Motor Show."][/caption]

VOLVO IS DEVELOPING technology that could see motorists rushed into a world depicted only in futuristic movies, with laser-guided cars allowing drivers to relax behind the wheel with a good book or a DVD while on their way to work.

Locking vehicles into a convoy of up to ten cars at a time, Volvo's system would synchronise the position of each car in the line - a metre apart - calculating speed and position up to 50 times a second.

At the front of the convoy, a professional driver would manage the steering and braking of the line in relation to other vehicles on the road.

Motorists would subscribe to the service, paying a small amount of specific distance travelled in the group, booking ahead to ensure a place in the convoy. Each driver would then join the back of the group, where the laser-guided system would 'lock' their vehicle into place.

Volvo, along with British Technology and Ricardo UK, is developing the technology on an open platform, enabling other manufacturers to produce systems using the same approach, thus allowing owners of differently branded vehicles to join a convoy of other makes.

[caption id="attachment_35064" align="aligncenter" width="555" caption="The technology described is similar in concept to the automated Audi featured in the film I, Robot."][/caption]

The manufacturer is aiming to begin testing at Volvo's test course in Sweden in late 2010, with a prototype system launched in 2011 and private motorists able to use it from around 2018.

Jonas Ekmark, a safety researcher at Volvo cars, told the Daily Mail: "It would be the same as sitting on a bus or a train, with the big difference that when you come to your exit you take over and you go directly to your destination without having to switch vehicles.

"The professional driver leading the convoy will be responsible for the safety of those behind him. But those joining the convoy will be taking only the same sort of risks that those jumping on a bus or tube are taking."

The technology is an extension of laser systems already used in a number of Volvo models, including an automatic braking system developed to prevent low-speed rear-end collisions.