Chinese full-color headlights capable of projecting movies
A Chinese tech company has unveiled headlights that project full-color capable of playing films but also drawing lines onto roadways during lane changes and signaling to pedestrians when it’s safe to cross, according to multiple media sources.
Huawei showed off the latest update of its XPixel headlight during the Huawei Qiankun Technology Conference during the Beijing Auto Show, according to Yahoo Autos.
The headlights allow drivers to pull up to a blank wall and sync content, essentially turning the vehicle into a drive-in theater, Yahoo News says.
Xpixel lights also integrate with advanced driver assistance systems. This could mean visual cues in traffic situations and emergency signaling, Yahoo News said.
The upgraded system is set to launch in the Aito M9, but is also planned to roll out in the Qijing GT7 and Luxeed V9.
An article in The Street notes that headlights have been advancing at a quicker pace outside the U.S. For example, Europe uses matrix beams that paint around oncoming traffic, and Japan has laser headlights that throw light a quarter mile down the road.
“America got an updated rulebook — finally, in 2022,” The Street says.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) finalized a rule allowing for adaptive driving beam headlights in 2022, nine years after Toyota first petitioned for the technology.
“By the time U.S. regulators caught up, automakers across the Pacific had already moved on,” the article says.
It adds that monochrome versions of XPixel have been on the road in China for about three years.
“The same week U.S. regulators were still working through follow-up petitions on the 2022 adaptive headlight rule, the Beijing show was treating projection-capable headlights as a near-term option on a sport-utility you can already buy,” the article says.
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