Automotive

Mercedes digital headlights project street signs and markings onto the road ahead

Mercedes digital headlights project street signs and markings onto the road ahead
Mercedes says it has fitted the technology to a number of demo vehicles
Mercedes says it has fitted the technology to a number of demo vehicles
View 9 Images
The new system is dubbed Digital Light and features two million pixels that adapt the brightness
1/9
The new system is dubbed Digital Light and features two million pixels that adapt the brightness
Realistically, this kind of technology hitting the streets is probably a ways off
2/9
Realistically, this kind of technology hitting the streets is probably a ways off
The Digital Light system has the ability to project different objects onto the road
3/9
The Digital Light system has the ability to project different objects onto the road
Mercedes reckons the technology will be on the road "in the near future"
4/9
Mercedes reckons the technology will be on the road "in the near future"
Mercedes says it has fitted the technology to a number of demo vehicles
5/9
Mercedes says it has fitted the technology to a number of demo vehicles
The new system is dubbed Digital Light and features two million pixels that adapt the brightness
6/9
The new system is dubbed Digital Light and features two million pixels that adapt the brightness
The Digital Light system has the ability to project different objects onto the road
7/9
The Digital Light system has the ability to project different objects onto the road
Mercedes says it has fitted the technology to a number of demo vehicles
8/9
Mercedes says it has fitted the technology to a number of demo vehicles
Mercedes reckons the technology will be on the road "in the near future"
9/9
Mercedes reckons the technology will be on the road "in the near future"
View gallery - 9 images

There are more than a few edgy experimental headlight technologies floating around these days, including systems that follow the driver's eyesight and others that light up potential hazards. Mercedes has just announced a conceptual new set of lamps that can not only adapt their light distribution to cater to the environment, but can project high-res visual aids onto the road ahead, such as makeshift zebra crossings for nearby pedestrians.

The new system is dubbed Digital Light and features two million pixels that, with the help of algorithms and sensors that analyze the vehicle's surroundings, can each adjust their individual brightness depending on the scenario. An example of this might be a partial dimming to avoid blinding a cyclist.

We have seen this kind of adaptive lighting technology before in systems developed by Fraunhofer and indeed Mercedes itself, although tuning it to control millions of pixels individually does appear to be new territory.

The Digital Light system has the ability to project different objects onto the road
The Digital Light system has the ability to project different objects onto the road

But where the Digital Light system gets quite interesting is with the ability to project different objects onto the road. If you picture a not-too-distant future where connected, sensor-laden cars know all about the world around them, then you can see why this could be more than a gimmick.

Imagine you are rolling up to an intersection in a foreign city with unfamiliar streets signs and the car, having collected the necessary information, projects a stop sign onto the road out ahead. Perhaps just as practical is the ability to shoot out strips of light that represent the precise width of the car, which could be pretty hand just as you try to squeeze through that extremely narrow gap.

Another example offered in the video below is the car creating a zebra crossing for a pedestrian waiting to cross the road, and Mercedes says the system could also project light traces onto the road to replace missing markings, along with direction arrows and warnings.

Realistically, this kind of technology hitting the streets is probably a ways off. For what it's worth, Mercedes says it has already fitted it to a number of demo vehicles and reckons it will be on the road "in the near future."

Source: Daimler

Mercedes-Benz DIGITAL LIGHT: A Light for the Future | Bernd Mayländer

View gallery - 9 images
3 comments
3 comments
Timelord
I really don't understand the utility of this. Why project images onto the road? Just have a head-up display overlaying augmented reality for the driver to see. It would avoid the distortions of trying to read things on a horizontal surface, especially one that may have irregularities like potholes, patches, manhole covers, etc. Not to mention the waste of electricity, the light pollution and the possible confusion from several such cars projecting images close to each other. And augmented reality could be in full color rather than just white. A red "stop" sign would get much more attention than a white one.
Andrew Fisher
I've been excited about this for years but why is Mercedes doing such a horrible job of marketing it? They're making it seem like it's vaporware with all the overblown hype. It's just a projector, it's not like they are reinventing light itself. It's a projector on a car. Cool. They seem so out of touch in this video.
Bob Flint
Doesn't understand the first fundamental of projecting light and how we see things because of how light reflects. At such shallow angles, light will reflect off the wet surface similar to a mirror.