New technology using a camera and projectors, being developed by Intel, could change the way car headlights are developed forever, with a new technique that blocks out rainwater giving drivers a clearer image of the road ahead.
Intel is currently leading the development along with researchers from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and unveiled the research with the announcement of their Facets of Future Life work line.
The camera, which is fixed inside the headlight, scans the road ahead for each raindrop and then relays the image to a processor. This processor then removes the raindrops from the image so as to provide a much clearer view with fewer bright spots. This could prove particularly helpful for driving at night.
The technology, of course, requires a lot of tinkering because of the thousands of raindrops that will need to be recorded and this will need a very powerful and hefty processing until, so the breakthrough isn’t going to be a cheap one.
According to reports from CNET, the headlights are unlikely to be on the market any time soon either as Intel expect that will be within the next decade before the technology refined and developed for mass production and use.
Irish journalist writing on business, tech and engineering.
