Laser lights aren’t anything new. In fact, even for Audi, they’ve had it since the Audi R8 LMX announced earlier this year, which had a laser lighting system for the high beams. BMW themselves have been working on a laser illumination system, which they announced in a concept model earlier this year as well.
But Audi plans to take this laser lighting system a few steps further, by having it combined with their Matrix lighting system and having more flexibility and functionality than merely a highbeam system. Audi has teamed up with various partners in the lighting industry, such as Bosch, Osram and the Lichttechnischen Institut (LTI; “Lighting Technology Institute”) of the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT).
The system defies convention by using a high strength laser diode in tandem with a high speed, incredibly responsive micro mirror. The mirror moves to redirect the beam across the driver’s field of vision, being highly adaptive to different road conditions and situations. Audi has said that at lower speeds, the system broadens the reach of the beam for better illumination, while higher speeds see a narrower beam with a much longer reach.
All in, it’s an interesting concept that may very well be the norm in a few years’ time. But until Audi tests the longevity and resilience of the system, expect it to stay within the upper echelons of luxury cars.
