Forget LED headlamps – according the BMW, the next logical step in car lighting development is laser lights. Laser lighting is radically different from sunlight or any different kind of artificial lighting used today, including the different types of light sources we use in vehicle headlamps.
Laser lighting is monochromatic, which means that all the light waves have the same length. It is also a “coherent” light source, which means its waves have a constant phase difference. As a result, laser lighting can produce a near-parallel beam with an intensity a thousand times greater than that of conventional LEDs, while having less than half the energy consumption of LED headlamps.
The intensity of laser light poses no possible risks to humans, animals or wildlife when used in car lighting. Amongst other things, this is because the light is not emitted directly, but is first converted into a form that is suitable for use in road traffic. The resulting light is very bright and white.
Check out the videos in this post for some demos that I managed to record while attending the BMW Innovation Days in Munich. You can see how the thin blue laser beam is converted into a bright white light.
© 2011 Paul Tan's Automotive News. All Rights Reserved.
This story originally appeared on Paul Tan's Automotive News on Sat, 15 Oct 11 21:43:40 +0000.
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