Jan 4, 2009 07:00 PM
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Even if you can't afford a luxury supercar like the Audi R8, take solace in the fact that its cutting edge all-LED design will trickle down to your jalopy. Eventually.
Of course we all know efficient LEDs will eventually find their way into every automobile, but the Audi R8 V10 takes the prize for being the first commercial vehicle to sport LEDs in everything. Headlights, running lights, turn signals—you name it there's an LED shining bright inside.
And not just shining, but "smartly" shining and adapting to the driver's needs.
Audi developers are convinced that future generations of headlights will react to weather conditions, a vehicle’s speed, the distance between vehicles, and potentially dangerous objects. “We’re striving to create intelligent headlights and taillights which think and anticipate in the interest of enhancing a driver’s safety and comfort. For example, there are already high-beam headlights in pre-series development which will allow drivers to navigate roads at night without temporarily blinding oncoming drivers. This is made possible by a variable distribution of light: An electronic system continuously calculates the distance to any approaching vehicles to ensure that the road ahead is ideally illuminated at all times – without irritating oncoming drivers," said Dr. Wolfgang Huhn, Head of the Light and Visibility Department at Audi.
Sheesh. You know you're a luxury car manufacturer when you have a Light and Visibility Department. [Gizmag and Jalopnik]
Send an email to Jack Loftus, the author of this post, at jloftus@gizmodo.com.
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