One light to rule them all!
How Mercedes plans to re-invent the headlamp...
Headlamps have been with cars since the very beginning. In recent years, manufacturers got drawn into a battle of innovation and technological progress. With many, ahem, bright ideas, such as LED or lasers making their way even into ordinary cars, is there any place for further development? Mercedes think that they have the answer: Digital Light.
What is Digital Light?
Mercedes believes that the headlamps should not only illuminate the road ahead, but can act as a separate assistance system for the driver. Based on this principal, a unique and dazzle-free main beam technology was developed: the Digital Light.
Tell me how it works...
The special headlights are made up of one million micromirrors each, which leads to a combined resolution of two million pixels per vehicle. Combined with a special chip, an algorithm analyses the vehicle's surroundings in real time and adjusts each single pixel's brightness individually.
Sounds complex. What does it actually do?
This is where the idea of headlights becoming an assistance system steps in. With such high pixel density and computing power, the system can actually adjust the brightness of individual pixels to illuminate signs on the road!
As a result, Mercedes claims that the system can project warnings and navigation messages on the road in front of the car. Furthermore, if the car detects a zebra crossing or changes in the lane-markings, these will be illuminated as well! The Digital Light can therefore be thought of as a giant highlighter for anything that is important on the road.
Mercedes is not eyeing a record for headlamp range, instead the focus is creating a beam that optimally illuminates what is important without the downside of glare. In the future, the system is even expected to interact and communicate with other road users!
Enlightening! When can I have this?
The Digital Light will initially be offered on Maybach models at the end of 2018. You can expect the technology to be a standard feature on the next S-Class, before making its way further down the Mercedes lineup in the nearby future.
What do you think of this innovation? Tell us below!
Photo credits: Mercedes
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Comments (2)
If you NEED this, you shouldn't be on the roads...
I don't live anywhere near a dark enough place for this to be useful, but wow! I want it!