What makes some carmakers and their cars premium? These guys have to be at the top of their game all the time. They have to be at the very pinnacle of technology and innovation, so as to keep their customers up-to-date with the best auto tech, and charge them a hefty premium in return. We, as mainstream car buyers love this phenomenon, as the technology eventually trickles down to mainstream cars, making life easier for all of us.
The latest in these innovations which make automobiles such an exciting subject to follow is an advance made in lighting technology by BMW. The innovation comprises of two new technologies – “Dynamic Light Spot” for actively illuminating persons and the “Glare-free high beam assistant” which saves you the trouble of constantly toggling your headlight beam from high to low to high.
The “Dynamic Light Spot” is a spotlighting system that automatically directs a beam of light onto pedestrians, or any other living creatures at an early stage, thus alerting the driver. The system uses an array of advanced cameras which employ infra-red technology and thermal imaging to detect heat, which is what usually differentiates living creatures from the rest of their surroundings. On detecting a creature, which may a be a pedestrian, or an animal on the road, from as far as 100meters, the technology throws a concentrated beam on the object to illuminate it brightly. This brings the object in focus and helps the driver brake, or evade the object with more confidence from a good distance.
The “Glare-free high beam assistant” is a revolutionary tech which may eventually rid us motorists from the harassment of having to face headlight glare in the night. On detecting vehicles coming from the opposite direction, the system masks your vehicle’s headlight in such a manner that it prevents glare to the approaching driver despite the high beam being switched on. This helps you drive the car constantly on high beam, always illuminating a longer range of road for you, and improving safety.
Do these technologies appear good enough to you, to make any significant difference to road safety? Can you think of any more issues which need to be addressed as regards road safety while driving at night? Do let us know.