The first low-beam headlights appeared on automobiles 100 years ago. Today, engineers are scrambling to develop a new generation of smart headlights that will soon make traditional products as obsolete as kerosene lanterns.
The goal is to create lights that react to the road environment and enhance driver safety. Smart headlights will better illuminate the road; spotlight obstacles, signs and lanes; project directions on the road; reduce glare; and increase visibility in fog, rain and snowstorms.