Volvo has come out with something called IntelliSafe Auto Pilot, which is a term for an autonomous driving software that the company has developed. The software uses a combination of laser sensors, radars and cameras to read road situation ahead of the car and take actions accordingly.
The autonomous software will take over the reins from the driver when the car enters an autonomous driving lane. Paddles mounted on the steering wheel will light up when the car reaches that section of the road. This system has already been seen in the Volvo XC90 SUV.
In order to turn the system on, the driver needs to have his hands placed on the paddles for a particular amount of time after which the system gets turned on and it takes over driving of the car till the end of the driving lane. Once it reaches the end of the section, the system sounds an alarm for 1 minute so that the driver can take control of the car. If for some reason the driver fails to take control of the car, the system will stop the car.
Volvo will test this system extensively in 2017 and plan is to equip 100 odd XC90s with this. By the year 2020, Volvo planning to launch its first car equipped with this software.