New Volvo Multi-adaptive Safety Belt launched with world-first personalisation tech
Multi-adaptive Safety Belt technology has arrived on the new Volvo EX60 and could be the latest Volvo safety innovation that we see widely adopted
Volvo is launching another boost to its stellar safety reputation, with world-first tech designed to slash injuries from seatbelts in accidents. The introduction of “infinite” settings for its seat belt pre-tensioners later this year is designed to protect occupants of all shapes and sizes from injuries like broken collarbones. Currently, while protecting occupants from a more serious injury if they weren’t strapped in, seatbelts can still cause damage when they’re not optimised for different types of passenger.
Starting with the new EX60, before rolling out to other new Volvo models as the existing range is replaced, the Multi-adaptive Safety Belt will initially use sensors to choose the most appropriate of 11 profiles, before a software update later this year extends those parameters to what Volvo described as “infinite”.
The EX60’s commercial product lead, Johan Rasmusson picked out the belt as his favourite element of the new model. “I think it's so important that we continue to improve protecting lives,” he told Auto Express. “Consumers traditionally think that all cars are safe as long as you get the five [Euro NCAP] stars, but we do so much more at Volvo than collect stars.”
Rasmusson said the car uses a combination of internal cameras and sensors to pre-load the seatbelts according to the size and weight of occupants across each seat individually.
Unlike pure software updates, the Multi-adaptive safety belt cannot be installed in an over-the-air update, so it will only find its way across the range as model lines get a completely new generation of car, the next of which is likely to be the new EX40 expected in 2027.
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