Totalcar – Magazine – S Merci paints a zebra in front of pedestrians

The headlights were the parts that have probably undergone the most exciting change in the past few years. We’re now lit by sensor-supported LEDs, which are actually able to turn off clips to hide oncoming, thus retaining brightness but not dazzling other traffic. Mercedes will now go one step further.

The Digital Light system has been tested since 2016, but is now closer to street use. The soul of the system is a headlight unit powered by one million micrometers that can be controlled. This creates a truly detailed projection, and works with radars and cameras to provide much more precise control than ever before. The headlight can send a message to other road users: it can display more complex diagrams on the ground, such as a stop sign or a zebra. With the latter, the car indicates that the driver is passing next to those waiting on the side of the road.

There’s no definitive news yet on when the digital light will be introduced, but the car used for testing is an S-Class, so it wouldn’t be surprising if it debuts at the next whale. It’s a very dangerous technology, and these solutions are traditionally offered by Mercedes in its largest luxury cars.

Interestingly, however, even the use of adaptive LED headlights available today is not allowed in the United States, simply because the relevant regulations are outdated. It is said that they are already working on updating the regulations.