New Seat Belt Billed as Game-Changer
Volvo says design adapts to the user, traffic scenario and will be improved over the life of the car.
Volvo said its new seat belt design dramatically improves on the three-point design it debuted in 1959.
Pexels/Mario Amé
Volvo, known for its vehicle safety enhancements, said it’s introducing an innovative seat belt design that adapts to the wearer.
The restraint, scheduled to debut in Volvo’s 2026 EX60 electric SUV, uses interior and exterior sensors to adjust itself based on the wearer’s size, body shape and seating position.
The Swedish automaker, calling the device a “world-first technology,” said it will also improve the restraint over time through over-the-air software updates.
Volvo said the new design improves on the decades-old seat belt configuration that the company also innovated.
“This marks a major upgrade to the modern three-point safety belt, a Volvo invention introduced in 1959, estimated to have saved over a million lives,” said Asa Haglund, head of Volvo Cars Safety Centre in a press release.
As examples of the seat belt’s adaptability, Volvo said it would shift to a higher belt load setting in a serious crash in the case of a larger occupant to lower head injury risk and to a lower load setting for a smaller occupant in a minor crash to minimize rib fracture risk.
Volvo said it expanded seat belt load-limiting profiles, or controls on belt force applied to the body in a crash, from three to 11 in the new system to customize for each situation and occupant.
The restraint system of sensors instantaneously assesses the speed, direction and occupant posture in a crash and adjusts the seat belt’s settings accordingly, Volvo said.
The system, which Volvo has crash-tested, is designed to better acquaint itself with a vehicle’s occupants over time and add data on new scenarios and how to respond to them, all adjusted through over-the-air software updates.
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