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Volvo has been testing revolutionary safety technology in its new S60 saloon on the streets of Copenhagen.

The Swedish firm released official images of the disguised saloon testing its Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and Pedestrian Detection system, which will both feature on the S60 when it goes on sale next year.

See the hi-res Volvo S60 testing pics

Volvo has been testing the system for more than ten years. It consists of a radar in the front grille, a camera behind the inside rear-view mirror and a central control unit.

The radar and camera continuously monitor the road in front of the car. The radar's task is to detect objects and measure the distance to them. The camera determines what type of objects they are.

In an emergency situation, the driver is first alerted by an audible warning together with a flashing light in the windscreen's head-up display. If the driver doesn’t respond to the warning and the system assesses that a collision is imminent, the car's brakes are applied with full braking power.

Thomas Broberg, senior safety advisor at Volvo, said: “Factors like traffic behaviour, road conditions and climate must be taken into account in the design of the final system.

“All told we have collected more than 500,000 kilometres of real-life data. We can also use the information from these traffic tests to conduct advanced computer simulations.”

Broberg also said by 2020, he hoped no-one would ever be killed in an accident involving a Volvo.

“The previous stages were developed to help the driver avoid collisions with other vehicles,” he said.

“Now we are taking a giant step forward with a function that also boosts safety for unprotected road-users. What is more, we are advancing from fifty percent to full automatic braking power.

“This technology helps us take an important step towards our long-term vision of designing cars that do not crash. Our aim for 2020 is that no-one should be killed or seriously injured in a Volvo.”

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