Daimler is set to debut its futuristic Digital Light technology in the Mercedes Maybach S-Class, bringing the smart headlights from the drawing board into the real world.
The Digital Light technology will do more than just illuminate the road, as the smart headlights will provide drivers with additional assistance while behind the wheel.
Mercedes Maybach S-Class To Debut Digital Light Technology
Daimler revealed through an official press release that its Digital Light technology will make its debut in the first half of this year on the Mercedes Maybach S-Class. The technology is also featured at the Geneva Motor Show, where the automobile manufacturer is showing off its capabilities.
According to Daimler, the smart headlights will feature a resolution of more than 1 million pixels per headlamp to create ideal lighting conditions for drivers. However, the technology is not limited to just lighting up the road.
The smart headlights are equipped with the equivalent of digital projectors, allowing the vehicle's system to control the light output. The technology will be able to determine the necessary brightness of the headlights to prevent blinding pedestrians and other drivers by detecting faces and windshields, diverting the light away from them. In addition, the system will also project information that the driver needs to know on the road.
Digital Light Acts Like An On-Road UI
The smart headlights of the Digital Light technology are capable of projecting symbols and important information, providing drivers with what is essentially an on-road user interface. The system will utilize the sensors of the Mercedes Maybach S-Class to determine the necessary symbols and information.
Examples of symbols that the smart headlights can project include a snowflake, which indicates a slippery road, a construction symbol, which indicates roadworks ahead, or even simple white lines, which shows if the vehicle is capable of squeezing into a narrow space.
The Digital Light technology may also show the distance of the vehicle in front and the speed of the Mercedes Maybach S-Class driver, along with a collision warning if the car is moving too fast. The smart headlights may also inform drivers that they have exceeded the road's speed limit.
Digital Light Technology On Other Daimler Vehicles?
The number of Mercedes Maybach S-Class vehicles that will come with Digital Light technology will be very small. The system is expensive, which is why it will be making its first appearance in the top-end trim of the Mercedes Maybach brand.
Daimler will likely be looking to make Digital Light more affordable so that more vehicles and customers will be able to enjoy its benefits and safety features. Until then, though, the capabilities of the smart headlights may be further developed to include more symbols and types of information.
