Hyundai Mobis developed headlights that project traffic signals

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Hyundai Mobis wants cars of the future to project street sign icons into their headlights to improve nighttime road safety.

The company, a parts supplier controlled by Hyundai, introduced a lighting system that can project text or images onto the road surface. In a press release, Hyundai Mobis described this as a possible extension of the driving information displayed on the head-up displays, as well as a potential way to warn pedestrians.

The lighting system is linked to a vehicle’s GPS and on-board cameras, allowing it to display the appropriate information in a given situation. For example, the headlights could project a road works signal when approaching a construction zone, or a crosswalk signal for pedestrians, according to Hyundai Mobis.

The headlights are made up of many small LEDs with a collection of small mirrors. The system uses 25,000 LEDs, which, according to Hyundai Mobis, is 250 times the amount used in conventional headlights. Each one is 0.04mm wide, which is thinner than a human hair, while the mirrors are only 0.01mm wide. This allows for a good level of control in shaping the light cast by the many LEDs into specific shapes.

Headlights that project the shape of Hyundai Mobis

Headlights that project shapes are not a new idea. Mercedes demonstrated something similar in 2018 with the digital headlights on his Maybach S-Class luxury sedan, saying these million-pixel programmable lights could project pathways through road construction or use arrows to highlight pedestrians, among other things.

In 2022, Ford engineers in Europe it showed headlights projecting shapes, which also suggested multiple possible uses, such as warning drivers of dangerous road conditions, showing upcoming turns, or showing a path around cyclists. Ford said the advantage of this technology was that it displayed information in the driver’s line of sight, rather than on a screen, which requires drivers to take their eyes off the road. Hyundai Mobis, however, also hinted at possible uses in autonomous vehicles.

“In the era of autonomous driving, software technology capable of integrating numerous car components into a single device will be more important than ever,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

However, no use in production vehicles is guaranteed. Hyundai Mobis has shown good technology over the years, including panoramic roof airbags and, more recently, a prototype Hyundai Ioniq 5 driving sideways using integrated steering and in-wheel motor hardware. But the company does not always follow production plans.