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Ford’s Predictive Smart Headlights to Drastically Improve Night Driving Safety

Highly advanced lighting systems are not just for self-driving cars. Ford is developing an intelligent headlight solution that could dramatically improve night-time visibility and safety. The future product is currently being tested, using cutting-edge virtual reality (VR) technology.
Ansys specializes in engineering simulation solutions, including the AVxcelerate Headlamp solution 7 photos
Photo: Ansys
Ansys AVxcelerate Headlamp SolutionAnsys AVxcelerate Headlamp SolutionAnsys AVxcelerate Headlamp SolutionAnsys AVxcelerate Headlamp SolutionAnsys AVxcelerate Headlamp SolutionAnsys AVxcelerate Headlamp Solution
Even with all the driver assistance features available today, nighttime and low-light conditions can still be a serious risk, making it harder for drivers to detect pedestrians, turns, and wildlife. Ford’s new smart headlight system, currently in the testing phase, is designed to use real-time location data, to automatically direct beams into upcoming objects or turns, helping drivers get better visibility and respond faster to potential hazards.

The only downside is that the testing and validation process for this innovative technology can be tedious, as there are so many potential scenarios that need to be integrated. This is why, instead of building and testing actual prototypes, Ford engineers are using VR simulations. Called the AVxcelerate Headlamp solution, this testing technology was developed by Ansys, a company that specializes in engineering simulation.

This advanced solution used optical simulation and a driver-in-the-loop feature, to basically replicate a physical environment, with a high degree of accuracy, and provide a realistic night drive experience. Using VR instead of real prototype testing has a number of benefits. First of all, it helps save time and money, by not relying on real nighttime drives. Secondly, it enables numerous theoretical scenarios and lighting conditions to be tested, which would be difficult to replicate in real-world conditions.

Simulation has and will continue to play a critical role in our quest of making driving at night as safe and easy as during the day,” said Michael Koherr, advanced lighting research engineer at Ford Europe. The most important benefit of virtual environment testing is that potential issues or improvements can be detected way before the product enters the final testing stage, which, in the end, leads to a much better product.

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About the author: Otilia Drăgan
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Otilia believes that if it’s eco, green, or groundbreaking, people should know about it (especially if it's got wheels or wings). Working in online media for over five years, she's gained a deeper perspective on how people everywhere can inspire each other.
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