Mitsubishi Electric has created a directional-indicator system for cars that illuminates road surfaces at night to inform pedestrians and other drivers of a vehicle’s intended path.
The lights will show those around a vehicle if it is intending to travel forward/backward, or when turning, opening doors or making emergency stops.
Selected features of the new directional indicators system will be exhibited with Mitsubishi Electric’s EMIRAI3 xDAS concept car during the 44th Tokyo Motor Show 2015 at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition complex in Tokyo, Japan from October 29 – November 8.
The system projects large, easy-to-understand animated illuminations onto road surfaces to help pedestrians quickly comprehend the driver’s intentions.
The technology is expected to help avoid road accidents while lowering the potential frustration or confusion of nearby drivers and pedestrians.
New automotive lighting systems are drawing attention with their capability to reduce accidents. According to the research by Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis, 70% of pedestrian fatalities on roads happen at night.
Market initiatives to use lighting sources for safer roadway environments are expected to increase from US$6.bn in 2013 to US$10bn by 2022, according to the Fuji Chimera Research Institute.
In particular, small, affordable LEDs are expected to be used in increasingly sophisticated lighting systems.
