Opel Developing Adaptive Headlights That Shine Where The Driver Looks

By Rajkamal

Updated: Monday, March 16, 2015, 10:49 [IST]

Adaptive headlight technology has gone a long way from it began or first introduced. It is a continuous evolution process to try and make road safer while driving in the night.

Opel is planning on taking this feature to the next level by designing adaptive headlights that will focus where the driver is looking.

This system uses a camera with peripheral infrared sensors and central photodiodes to scan the driver's eyes more than 50 times per second during the night.

All the data gathered is then used to determine where the driver's eyes are focusing and the headlights will automatically make vertical and horizontal changes to focus the headlight beam where the eyes are looking.

opel headlights focus where driver looks

The challenge the engineers faced was to overcome natural human tendency, which subconsciously makes us change from one focal point to another, which will make the lights go berserk in the night. The solution-a sophisticated delay algorithm which ensures a flowing movement that is subtle.

The headlights are undergoing final tests and can be expected in the next 18 months on their LED matrix headlights.