Germany funds research project to develop a fully adaptive light projection system

With a goal to improve traffic safety at dusk and in low-light conditions, the German Federal Ministry of Research and Education (BMBF) will be sponsoring the research project ‘VoLiFa2020’ over the next three years. This joint effort is working to develop a fully adaptive automobile headlight system and is being financed under the Photonics Research Germany program. Project partners include lighting systems manufacturer Hella, heading the effort, Elmos Semiconductor AG, Merck, the Porsche Engineering Group, Schweizer Electronic AG and the University of Paderborn. As a team, this group of contributors possesses the expertise required for all stages of the project.
The latest road accident statistics for Europe show that driving has never been safer than in 2013. Over the last years, numerous innovations have helped improve traffic safety significantly. Despite this progress, the risk of a fatal traffic accident at night or dusk continues to be considerably higher than during daylight hours. 
In order to increase road users' safety when driving in low-light conditions, BMBF will be sponsoring the VoLiFa2020 project, which is working to develop a fully adaptive light projection system for intelligent, efficient and safe vehicle lighting.

The BMBF is providing around 2 million euros (Rs 16 crore) under the Photonics Research Germany program. The planned system will enable lighting that can intelligently and seamlessly adapt to various specific driving conditions in almost real-time. Vehicles therefore will be able to selectively illuminate a wide variety of traffic conditions, thereby allowing drivers to detect dangerous situations and obstacles much faster. 
The research consortium, led by the lighting systems manufacturer Hella covers the entire research and value chain of a headlight system, from development to the user. While the chemical and pharmaceutical company Merck is supplying special liquid crystals and thereby laying the foundation to manufacture the headlight system, the chip and hardware producers Elmos Semiconductor AG and Schweizer Electronic AG are designing the electronic components as well as customer-specific circuit boards. Hella says it is responsible for developing the optical systems as well as integrating the various components into an overall system.
L-LAB, the research institute for lighting technology and mechatronics supported by the University of Paderborn and carmaker Porsche are drafting the system requirements, taking into account the subjective perceptual aspects of all road users.
For those participating in the project, the headlight system being developed offers a diverse range of potential applications, from use in cars and other classes of vehicles such as trucks and buses, to the application of individual project components in other branches of industry.