What's all this about?
Vauxhall - or rather, its German sibling, Opel - is developing headlights that move according to where the driver is looking.
Sounds pretty futuristic. How have they managed this? Mind control?
No, through the use of a webcam.
A webcam?! Aren't they notoriously slow and jerky?
Ah, well Opel says it has developed its single-camera system to be much quicker, with a set of infrared sensors and central photo-diodes scanning the driver's eyes more than 50 times per second in dusk and night conditions. It can then steer the headlamp projectors accordingly, but even if the driver's eyes are darting all over the place, or even not looking at the road, the system is set up to maintain a minimum degree of forward illumination at all times.
Right, so when can we expect this technology to come to market?
Not within the next two years. Ingolf Schneider, director of Lighting Technology at Opel, says the company has been working on this for two years already but there are other illumination technologies to come first from Opel.
Such as?
Matrix headlights, similar to Audi and BMW systems, which basically mean individual LEDs can be extinguished automatically, and in an instant, by the car. This prevents other road users being dazzled while simultaneously maintaining as much light as possible for the Vauxhall driver. Expect to see this introduced within the next 18 months.
Matt Robinson - 16 Mar 2015