Thesis Work - Rear outer seatbelt adaptive shoulder geometry (motorized)

About this opportunity - Background

Innovation starts with being curious. At Volvo Cars, we believe that being curious and truly committed to understanding people is the key to future success. We are looking for driven and motivated students interested in pursuing their master thesis within Vehicle Engineering during the spring term 2026. As a thesis worker in our organization you are supported by a supervisor who follows you during your project.

At Vehicle Engineering, our responsibility spans the entire chassis, interior, climate, body & exterior functions, mechanical Integration and a range of vehicle attributes with impact on design and customer experience of our complete product. Across these domains and all development cycles we will lead an effective delivery operation on complete level in close sync with other Engineering units, functions and stakeholders across the company.
This thesis work is within the area of Seat Belt at Occupant Safety.  
This master thesis work is in line with Volvos ambition to be leading in safety and to provide adaptive safety systems based on sensor/camera monitoring of the occupants. 
The aim is to have a shoulder belt position that is adaptive and tailored to fit different occupant sizes and needs. A pre-requisite is to use the vehicle interior sensing system to detect and adjust the belt geometry on the occupant shoulder.
The shoulder belt position is a balance between ergonomics and safety.

Objective
Evaluate concept to obtain optimal webbing outlet for below determined load cases:
•    5% Female (IIHS ODB, position4, not allowed webbing slide to neck)
•    95% Male R18 dynamic zone
•    Q10 Child on booster cushion MPDB EUNCAP

Scope of the thesis work

Define a concept that is feasible and with optimized cost, based on previous studies.
Define optimized stroke of adaptivity to support a predefined amount of population with optimal comfort and safety performance. Evaluation can be performed in CAE and/or through physical clinic.
The scope is limited to 2nd row outer position in car and Interior sensing of occupant detection is seen as a prerequisite.

What you'll bring

•    Master students in mechanical/mechatronic engineering.
•    We believe that you will bring a curious and innovative mindset together with an interest in Automotive and the Safety area.

Duration

•    Tentative proposed thesis work period: 19th January 2026 to 26th of June 2026 (dates can be flexible with +/- 7 days)
•    The duration for this thesis work is 20 weeks.
•    30 ECTS (Master academic credits) in agreement with your Thesis Advisor in University
•    This thesis is to be conducted by 2 Students working in pair.
•    As both student need to apply separately you must clearly state the name of your fellow student in your application. This is the only way we can match the applications into pairs.
•    The thesis work will primarily be conducted on site at our office in Torslanda, Gothenburg.