Ford is currently performing trial runs for a new form of headlights, which will be able to project important driving information onto the road in front of a vehicle.
The rationale behind the concept is for the driver’s gaze to be able to remain fixed on the way ahead.
Informative headlights
The inspiration for the high-resolution projecting headlights came from one of Ford’s engineers when they found themselves stuck behind a heavy commercial vehicle in traffic.
The flat rear end of the truck presented itself as an ideal screen to beam content onto, said the carmaker.
Presently, the blue oval’s engineers are running trials for the new technology that will allow its vehicles to screen valuable information onto the road surface at night, ranging from speed limits to direction indicators.
It will even present weather conditions, with one shown example being a snowflake projection to warn the driver of icy road conditions ahead.
Casting information onto the road using high-resolution headlights could benefit not only drivers but other road users, too, such as by shining a crosswalk onto the street both for the driver and for any pedestrians.
Another use case is when existing road markers are faded or unclear, and the headlamps are able to display a path for the driver.
This could also be used to demarcate areas for nearby cyclists to follow to ensure a safe passing distance.
In testing this concept, Ford has developed a basic video game utilizing its high-resolution headlamps, whereby the user navigates a target around the projected target area using the buttons on the steering wheel, and fires to reveal the blue oval logo, Asteroids style.
The new technology is currently still in development and is being tested in controlled road environments.
Given that the concept is still new and unproven, it is also unclear how it will operate with regard to different legal regulations in different markets, added Ford.
You can see Ford’s new headlights in action for yourself below:
Keyword: Ford is about to revolutionise the way your headlights work