Good Guy Volvo Is Working On A Kangaroo Detection System To Stop Fatalities In Australia

Volvo is collecting data that will be used to enable its cars to detect a kangaroo. The reason for the research is simple: kangaroos are hard, unpredictable, 90kg animals with zero road manners. Their presence on Australian roads accounts for 200,000+ crashes each year, with one in six drivers hitting a ‘roo at some point. Kangaroo-related road deaths aren’t uncommon, either; at the end of September this year, a man lost his life after his 39-year-old wife swerved to avoid hitting a rogue ‘roo.

That’s why Volvo is currently researching kangaroo movement, shape and behaviour, which it will integrate into the same camera and radar systems it uses to detect pedestrians. Of course, implementing the new tech won’t be easy. According to Volvo Cars engineer Martin Magnusson: "The kangaroo has four legs but it’s actually jumping and what we have seen so far in the park is its behaviour seems a little bit unpredictable (…) So it’s a challenge to be able to detect it, to track it and to get the accurate position and movement of the animal."

For the time being, then, drivers will have to rely on the tried and tested, but very pedestrian/biker unfriendly kangaroo bar at the front of their vehicle. But it’s great to see that Volvo is doing exactly what we’ve come to expect: making the safest damn cars out there!