Opel is working on headlights that move according to where the driver's eyes are looking.
The technology is still in the development stage for now, but essentially, it uses a single camera to map the position of the eyes and nose of the driver, with the vehicle's headlamp projectors aligned to where the driver looks. Normally, high-performance eye-tracking systems require between five and ten cameras, but Opel uses a single unit developed from webcam technology (albeit one that's been developed to be quite a bit quicker to respond, as a normal webcam is too slow to react to the speed of traffic conditions).
Opel says this is third-generation adaptive lighting, and it uses infrared sensors and central photo-diodes to scan eyes more than 50 times per second in dusk and night conditions. And, even if the driver's eyes are darting from one place to another, or even off the road entirely, the software is programmed to ensure the low-beam headlamps maintain a minimum degree of forward illumination at all times.
"We've been pursuing this concept of controlling the direction and intensity of light based on where the driver is looking for around two years," said Ingolf Schneider, director of Lighting Technology at Opel. "The more we understand the benefits of this technology, the more we push ahead with our joint project with the Technical University of Darmstadt."
Anything else?
More lighting upgrades are on the way for Opel before then. Opel has recently introduced the ten-function AFL+ bi-Xenon lights to various models and is working on LED matrix headlights - similar to systems used by Audi and BMW, these can 'dip' certain parts of the main beam output to avoid dazzling other drivers - to hopefully bring them to market within the next 18 months.