World-first technology by Volvo and POC connects cycle helmets with cars

At the upcoming 2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, Volvo Cars and renowned safety gear manufacturer POC as well as technology firm Ericsson will showcase a revolutionary safety system that aims to reduce the rate of accidents between drivers and cyclists around the world.

The system sounds simple enough as it essentially "connects" the driver and the cyclist via a two-way communication layout. Employing apps such as Strava, which tracks an athlete's activity via GPS, a cyclist's position is relayed via cloud computing to the car and vice versa.

Should the system sense a collision, a warning will be sent out to both the driver and cyclist - the former receiving a visual cue via the head-up display and the latter, a helmet-mounted alert light. Ample warning will also be provided should a cyclist crop up in the driver's blind spot or in other low-visibility conditions.

"The partnership between Volvo Cars, POC and Ericsson is an important milestone in investigating the next steps towards Volvo Cars' vision to build cars that will not crash. But now, by exploring cloud-based safety systems, we are getting ever closer to eliminating the remaining blind spots between cars and cyclists and by that avoid collisions," said vice president and CIO at Volvo Cars, Klas Bendrik.

Volvo Cars remains at the forefront in championing safety features for cyclists and drivers alike as evident by its City Safety system. The technology features the ability to detect, warn and ultimately brake the car to avoid collisions with cyclists - and is standard on the all-new Volvo XC90.