Sweden's most advanced driving simulator comes to Gothenburg

Sweden's most advanced driving simulator comes to Gothenburg

Sweden's most advanced driving simulator will be inaugurated in
Gothenburg on May 18. The driving simulator will be used by Volvo Group
to continue development of the world's safest trucks, buses and
construction equipment as well as to strengthen Gothenburg's position as
a world-leading automotive research center.

“In a world where regions compete to be the hub of development this
comprises a concrete enhancement of our international competitive
strength and that of Sweden in advanced automotive
research. (http://www.volvogroup.com/group/global/en-gb/productsandservi
ces/researchandtechnology/Pages/Research_and_technology.aspx) From an
international perspective, the simulator constitutes a major competitive
advantage and it is fantastic that we are getting it here in
Gothenburg,” says Urban Wass, Head of Product and Road Safety in the
Volvo Group.

Primarily, the Volvo
Group (http://www.volvogroup.com/GROUP/GLOBAL/EN-GB/Pages/group_home.asp
x) utilizes driving simulators to study driver reactions in various
critical situations, for example, to study how the truck and driver
interact with each other. Increased knowledge enables truck safety
systems to be designed according to driver behavior to a higher degree
than at present.

Until now, Sweden's most advanced driving simulator has been located in
Linköping and owned by VTI, the Swedish National Road and Transport
Research
Institute (http://www.vti.se/templates/Page____2584.aspxhttp:/www.vti.se
/templates/Page____3257.aspx). The new simulator, again managed by VTI,
will be located in Gothenburg.

The Volvo Group played a key role in bringing the new simulator to
Gothenburg, including providing specialist knowledge in formulating the
requirements specification. We have argued the case that the Swedish
automotive industry needs this simulator and that Volvo will utilize the
simulator's capacity with a range of development projects,” says Urban
Wass. 

The key features of the new advanced simulator are primarily that it
provides a true-to-life feel for both braking and large steering wheel
movements. In the previous simulator both braking and steering wheel
movements could be simulated but not concurrently, one had to choose one
or the other. The new simulator creates a more realistic experience and
increases opportunities for creating and studying situations in current
and future traffic environments.

“The simulator provides us with the opportunity to study driver
reactions to all imaginable events, and we can repeat the same chain of
events multiple times to study variations in driver behavior. This is
both safe and cost-effective as well as providing us with deeper
knowledge that enables the development of optimal safety systems,” says
Urban Wass.

For example, the simulator can be used in the development of braking and
steering systems to make safer and more efficient vehicle concepts
possible.

It can also be utilized to study how the vehicle best conveys various
types of information and warnings to the driver. In the long-term, the
simulator will be utilized to develop advanced vehicles that can
communicate with other vehicles, road-users and transport environments.

“It is extremely improbable that more advanced safety development than
this can be found anywhere else in the world,” says Urban Wass.

The driving simulator will be opened at Lindholmen in Gothenburg in the
presence of, among others, Volvo's CEO Leif Johansson and Sweden's
Minister for Infrastructure Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd.

May 18, 2011

Reporters who want more information, please contact:
Urban Wass, Head of Product and Road Safety at Volvo Group, tel +46 (0)
73 902 86 61
Karin Wik, Press Contact, AB Volvo, tel +46 (0)703 214350
Visit http://www.thenewsmarket.com/volvogroup to access
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The Volvo Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks,
buses and construction equipment, drive systems for marine and
industrial applications and aerospace components. The Group also
provides complete solutions for financing and service. The Volvo Group,
which employs about 100,000 people, has production facilities in 19
countries and sells their products in more than 180 markets. In 2010
annual sales of the Volvo Group amounted to about SEK 265 billion. The
Volvo Group is a publicly-held company headquartered in Göteborg,
Sweden. Volvo shares are listed on OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm. For
more information, please visit www.volvogroup.com or www.volvogroup.mobi
if you are using your mobile phone.