Slashdot Mirror
Volvo Introduces a Collision-Proof Car
carazoo.com sends along a story on Volvo's upcoming crash-proof car. The company will introduce a concept car based on the S60 this month at the Detroit Auto Show, looking ahead a few years to the goal that by 2020 "no one should be killed or injured in a Volvo car." The concept car will have forward-looking radar as a proximity sensor, and the ability to brake if a collision is imminent. When the car senses a collision, a light flashes on the windscreen display along with an audible warning. If the driver doesn't act, the car will brake automatically.
What if I crash into IT with my H2?
FOXTROT UNIFORM CHARLIE KILO
That's what the steel spikes are for. They impale your tires and dig into the pavement in the event of traction loss. Gets rather expensive after hydroplaning a couple of times, though.
In other news, Volvo has announced a cutting-edge strategy for surviving the economic slump through their exclusive partnership with Goodyear and Michelin....
Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
Have Volvo engineers ever driven in ice and snow?
Dear Astute ./er,
Thank you for pointing out your observations. Here in Sweden we don't get much snow and ice at all. Thanks to you and your observations we will be able to refine our system with ideas that we have never thought of before.
Sincerely,
Volvo Engineer
... once got in the way of my sister's "crash-proof" Volvo.
Mind you, moose crashes can be pretty nasti...
You should have the collision sensor removed from your air bags. Replace it with a button which says "deploy airbags." You could have another button which tightens your seatbelt, leaving the belt loose until pressed.
That would empower you to make these decisions for yourself, rather than relying on the instant reflexes and unwavering attention of machinery.
A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
I was hoping the steel spikes were for the moose.
I predict that by the year 2020, no one will be killed or injured in a GM, Chrysler, or Ford car either.
"Pound" is a unit of currency in the United Kingdom. Although Canada theoretically has its own currency (the "dollar"), many loyal subjects of the crown still insist on reporting monetary value in pounds. A "thousand-pound moose," therefore, would be a moose that cost approximately US$1460.