Volvo Reveals Most Advanced Auto Pilot Autonomous Driving Interface

Volvo calls it the industry's most advanced and easy-to-use interfaces and goes on to say that the IntelliSafe Auto Pilot system is designed to provide a safe and seamless transition between traditional driving and autonomous driving.

The autonomous mode is activated and deactivated with specially-designed paddles on the steering wheel. When entering a route where autonomous driving is available, the car gives the driver a message that the Auto Pilot is ready. At the same time, lights on the steering-wheel paddles start flashing.

The driver pulls both paddles simultaneously to activate autonomous mode. The lights on the paddles then change to constant green and Auto Pilot confirms that the driving and the supervision has been delegated to the car.

When autonomous driving is no longer available, the driver is prompted to take over again. A sixty-second countdown is displayed. If the driver, for any reason, doesn't use the paddles to regain control within this minute, the car will bring itself to a safe stop.

Thomas Ingenlath, SVP Design at Volvo Cars, said: "We have designed a user interface that is safe and seamless to use so that drivers can confidently transfer and regain control of the car." When autonomous driving is no longer possible, the driver will be alerted and a sixty-second countdown will begin. If the driver fails to respond - by pulling both paddles simultaneously - the car will automatically bring itself to a safe stop.

The IntelliSafe Auto Pilot will debut on 100 XC90 prototypes and will eventually be used on mainstream production models with autonomous driving technology.