Volvo takes cue from gaming

VIDEO gaming has taken the globe by storm since its conception in the 1950s. What few gamers realise is that the fun activity is affecting road safety.

Last week, Volvo Cars showed us how it harnesses unconventional, cutting- edge video gaming technology. The company is using the tech to create safe cars.

“We are inspired by the gaming community,” said Timmy Ghiurau, the innovation leader and virtual experiences expert at Volvo Cars. “They are always pushing the boundaries. And they have created virtual ‘ props’ such as trees, for instance. This meant that we didn’t have to reinvent them.”

Enter Unity 3D modelling, which Volvo is employing in its research and development. While it’s better known for being a game development platform, Volvo is employing the technology to create scenarios that all happen in real- time.

“Some scenarios are too dangerous to test in real life; others are too rare,” said Ghiurau.

There are two other pieces of tech playing a role in developing safer cars – the Varjo XR- 1 mixed reality headset and Teslasuit’s full- body haptic suit.

The headset, which is so sophisticated that it was Boeing recently used it to conduct the first astronaut training in virtual reality ( VR), enables the user to “create” a car.

“You can actually climb into the car by walking through the side of the car or through the windscreen,” says Ghiurau. The car’s location car can be changed at the press of a button.

The haptic suit allows the wearer to feel how a real car would react in simulated scenarios.

The tech is used by the engineers and safety experts to study human interaction with the car in various traffic situations.

It enables researchers to create tools, simulate scenarios and prepare the ground for the introduction of autonomous driving.