Hands-free driving: How to let go for self-driving Volvo cars

VOLVO has revealed how to let go for hands-free driving – or how safe and easy it will be for drivers to transfer control to a car’s autonomous driving mode.

The advent of autonomous driving technology means that the relationship between a driver and a car’s user interface is crucial. A safe and seamless handover of control is the cornerstone of any new trustworthy autonomous driving technology and now the manufacturer shows how to “let go” for self-driving Volvo cars.

Volvo has designed its IntelliSafe Auto Pilot to be simple and intuitive. The autonomous mode is activated and deactivated with special paddles on the steering wheel.

When entering a route where autonomous driving is available, the car displays a message saying the Auto Pilot is ready and lights start flashing on the steering-wheel paddles.

The driver pulls both paddles simultaneously to activate autonomous mode. The paddle lights 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 with a 60-second countdown 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.”