Smart headlights seem like the last piece of technology to have smart branding slapped on it. Aside from a nice LED design, headlights are one of the least appealing aspects of purchasing a new vehicle. But the guys over at Ford are about to change everyone’s minds. While still in pre-development, Ford is building new headlight technology that will highlight organic danger and intelligently light the way ahead.
Safety Features that Make a Difference
Ford isn’t the first to tackle smart headlights, but they are the first to do so in an affordable manner. Ford’s method replaces the old fog lamps with two spotlights and places an infrared camera in the grille of the car. The infrared camera is there to catch pedestrians and large animals that pose a threat.
When the sensor catches something, it initiates the spotlights and aims them towards the potential hazard, highlighting them and immediately bringing the object’s presence to the attention of the driver. The system takes things one step further and will also display heat signatures on the car’s built-in display, which can track up to eight objects simultaneously. The built-in display will then frame the object in a yellow or red box depending on how much of a threat the object may be.
Smart Headlights, The Path to Illumination
Ford’s smart headlights will also work in tandem with the car’s GPS system in order to provide drivers with enhanced lighting conditions. When the smart headlights’ sense that the vehicle is coming to a curve, they will reactively shine towards side roads or shine just ahead of the curve in order to spot any potential risks that might otherwise be unknown to the driver due to the lack of lighting.
The smart headlight system is incredibly adaptive to all types of situations. The system can selectively turn off LEDs that could blind oncoming traffic so that it can still utilize the system’s “high beams” all the time.
Ford Playing Catchup
Ford is always looking to further develop its existing technology, which can already adjust headlights to traffic signs, and somewhat adapt headlight behavior at intersections. Unfortunately, the smart headlight technology is still in pre-development, and it’ll be quite some time before we see it in any of Ford’s production models. As of right now, there are still regulations preventing adaptive smart headlight systems from being used.
