Intel developing headlights that make rain invisible

When computer hardware companies start getting involved with the development of automotive technologies, you can be sure some futuristic stuff is about to go down. How does invisible rain sound to you? Intel, along with Carnegie Mellon University, has come up with an idea for a new headlight system that can make rain seem to disappear from the driver's direct line of sight.

According to CNET, the headlight uses a camera housed within the headlight assembly to detect rain (and presumably snow or hail) as it falls, and then it uses a processor to anticipate the path of the rain. Finally, the actual light is created by a projector, which uses the information supplied by the processor to block out the pixels where the rain is expected to be. This technology, as you can see in the image above, should help improve visibility since there will be less light reflected back at the driver by raindrops.

Source and Video Demo:
http://www.autoblog.com/2013/04/29/i...sible-w-video/

 

amazing!!!!!

 

interesting concept and how Intel is in on this dev. I'm curious to see if this production, the projectors used and if this is street legal i.e. audi wanting to change a 45 yr old lighting DOT law

 

The army will probably get it first.

 

It is this crazy technology that leads to us thinking "why didn't I think of that?".

Heated seats, heated steeing wheels, auto parking, auto cruise control, adaptive lights, rain sensitive wipers. Now the technology to make rain disappear.

This is really an interesting, exciting time for cars/technology!

 

I'm wondering if Benz will debut this on the new 2014 S-class or if we'll have to wait to 2020 or so for the next generation S-class.

 

That's pretty cool.

 

It would probably have to be linked with DRL...Daytime Running Lights and/or rain-sensing wipers. That's because many states (including my own...VA), have laws that mandate headlights-on when it's raining or visibility is down to 500 feet. If the driver doesn't know it's raining (with the rain invisible), then he or she may not know to actually turn the lights on (if not alrerady automatic or DRL).

 

Typically they would have had it first and now its being released to civilians.

 

Don't be silly... Kia's Rio is usually at the forefront of in-car technology. It would be a surprise to not see them equipped with these amazing headlights first.

 

That is some crazy ish right there :-o

 

That's so awesome