2021 Ford Smart HeadlightsFord team is looking to a new way of making driving in the dark easier and more comfortable. The company's engineers at Ford Research and Advanced Engineering Europe are testing a technology that uses real-time location data to effectively show the vehicle's way to go. This predictive smart headlight system directs the beams into upcoming corners even before the driver may see them, illuminating dangerous obstacles.

The prototype system uses GPS location data, advanced technologies, and highly accurate street geometry information to quickly and accurately identify turns and obstacles on the road ahead. The algorithm calculates the trajectory and speed of the vehicle in order to proactively adjust the direction of the headlight beams, providing optimal light coverage of bends and junctions.

Should the vehicle encounter a stretch of road where location data is not available, the system will work alongside the camera and the steering-wheel dynamic headlight bending technologies to continue to intelligently illuminate the road until the location data access is once more available.

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Furthermore, the research team has made some extensive use of the digital twin simulation that recreates real-world events in a digital environment. This simulation accurately calculates how light fall and reflects in the real world, enabling researchers to better visualize and improve the technology they are working on.

Michael Koherr, Ford European lighting research engineer, said:  The predictive lighting technology we are developing now means that one day driving in the dark could be as simple as just following your headlights. This new map- and location‑based system is the next step on our quest to make driving at night no more difficult or stressful as during the day.

 Source: Ford