Self-driving cars made safe by VOLVO

Engineers at the Volvo car manufacturer have devised what they call a self-driving simulator, to help them improve vehicle safety and autonomous driving technology.

Volvo has a very long history of vehicle safety innovations, and the Swedish company's new driving simulator provides a pioneering hybrid simulation.

The device comes with a wheelchair and steering wheel with touching reactions and virtual reality glasses.

Volvo engineers say the driving simulator makes it difficult to distinguish reality from simulations, which is the goal of its construction.

Volvo uses state-of-the-art gaming technology to bring the simulator to life, believing that gaming technology can help make self-driving cars safe.

The technology behind the driving simulator uses unity real-time development platform, as well as varjo's virtual and hybrid reality technology.

The simulation includes driving a real car through real-life roads that combine real-life high-resolution 3D graphics with augmented reality glasses and a Tesla suit full-body suit, which provides touching reactions from the virtual world while monitoring physical reactions.

Software and hardware allow Volvo engineers to simulate fewer scenarios to pass through a real test path while using a real car safely.

The system also allows engineers to gain important insights into driver-vehicle interaction to develop new safety features, driver assistance, and autonomous driving.

Test drivers can be exposed to imagined active safety features, driver assistance features, upcoming self-driving interfaces, future car models, and many other scenarios.

The system can also be used through a real test path without exposing anyone to unnecessary risk or in the test lab with fully customizable and varied scenarios.

Volvo has recently introduced a self-driving simulator, and engineers say testing is critical when developing vehicle safety systems.

Testing systems in the real world can be dangerous, time-consuming and costly, so that transferring the test to the virtual world saves a lot of time and money.