Is the New Tech In Volvo's Latest SUV Going Too Far?
Volvo made sure to add a ton of new safety features and tech to their new XE 90. However, did some of the tech get too invasive?
Written by Preston Charles
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
From its earliest days,
Volvo
has built its reputation on taking a safety-first approach. In fact, the modern-day, three-point, V-shaped seat belt
doesn’t exist without Volvo. But some wonder if Volvo has now gone too far in its pursuit of safety. More specifically, does the developed tech surrounding their newest, safest vehicle yet, Volvo XE 90, cross a line of privacy concerns for its drivers?No one would argue with a safer car, but at what costs, both financially as well as for potentially surrendering large parts of your privacy?
The Volvo XE 90’s array of exterior sensors
Cameras and sensors on the outside of cars are nothing new at this point. They’ve helped many bad parallel parkers get the job done without embarrassing themselves. According to
Motortrend
The Volvo XE 90 is going much further with its eight cameras, five radar units, 16 ultrasonic sensors, and forward-facing LAiDR (Light Detection and Ranging) machine. When all of these components are working together in unison, Volvo says that they’re creating an “invisible” 360-degree shield of safety while the LAiDR is creating a 3-D of what’s around you. It will be able to spot hazards or pedestrians in daylight with an impressive range of 820 ft, and even hard-to-spot objects at night with a range of 390 ft.
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Are the interior sensors too invasive?
In addition to the myriad of cameras and sensors on the outside of the car, Volvo has created a “Driver Understanding” system that has two cameras trained on the face of the driver themself. The point of these cameras is to monitor distraction, drowsiness, or any other inattentiveness, and after a short period, the XE 90 will gently (at first) alert the driver and passengers.
Tech specialists from Volvo have dialed in the system so that it searches for “natural variations” in people's eye movements. This means that the driver will also be alerted if they’ve been staring ahead for too long, potentially zoning out on their surroundings.
Volvo has said that aside from recording accident footage, no footage of drivers will be stored. The system requires a live feed to function properly but the company says it has no reason to store footage, which would also just burden storage capabilities.
All of these sensors, both inside and outside the vehicle have the overarching aim of safety, which Volvo believes will potentially hit its pinnacle with self-driving cars, an aspiration they’re focused on working toward.
MORE: Are Safety Concerns Over Electric Vehicles Valid?
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