Volvo working on intelligent streaming

Volvo at CES announces high-bandwidth streaming in the pipeline for its autonomous cars.

Words Matt Robinson Published 4 January 2016

What's the news?

With the autonomous Volvo only a few years away (we recently brought you news of the company's Concept 26 interior for self-driving cars), the Swedish outfit has used the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) to announce it is working on intelligent, high-bandwidth streaming capabilities with its partner, Ericsson, to ensure occupants get the most out of their time being chauffeured around by a thinking S90.

Anders Tylman, general manager for Volvo Monitoring and Concept Centre, said: "We recently unveiled our design vision for fully autonomous cars with Concept 26. Now we are actively working on future solutions to deliver the best user experience in fully autonomous mode. Imagine a highway full of autonomous cars with their occupants sitting back watching their favourite TV shows in high definition. This new way of commuting will demand new technology and a much broader bandwidth to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience."

The idea is to have interruption-free streaming outside of cities and urban areas, thanks to Ericsson's expertise with network and cloud sharing systems. The Volvo software will allow the car to monitor network conditions to 'intelligently buffer' video content to ensure smooth viewing during all journeys.

Volvo says 70 per cent of all mobile data traffic in the coming years will be video, with the challenge being to provide connectivity to multiple moving vehicles travelling on open highways.

Anything else?

There's a little video here which shows you what travelling in a Volvo in, say, 2021 might look like.

If there is anything about this story we have not covered, you can avail of our expert advice service via the Ask Us Anything page.