[Musa]

Hi,

Have a look at this really really good way of imaging road surfaces passively:
http://www.red-dot.sg/en/online-exhi...ode=732&y=2012

A great way to see potholes, unmarked road humps and much more ...

Simple Question:
Does anyone know if these lamps are available for CARS ?
It would be great to have it in our country where street lighting is mostly a non-existent affair, especially in suburbs and highways.

" Lumigrids can project a grid onto the ground. On a flat road surface, the grid will consist of standard squares. On a rough road surface, the grids will deform accordingly. By observing the motion and deformation of the grids, the rider can intuitively understand the landforms ahead. In addition, the luminous grids can make it easier for nearby pedestrians and vehicles to notice the bicycle, reducing the likelihood of collision. "

Pics below are self-explanatory.

[vinair]

Though the product is good, I seriously wonder how effective it would be.

Imagine the kind of concentration required to read the pattern and process is quickly to avoid hitting the pothole! Also, if the throw is going to be like what it is shown in the picture, I am sure it wouldn't be very useful. Maybe this is useful for a machine that reads these patterns and drive without any manual intervention!

I prefer a normal LED headlight any day(or night!!) that not only illuminates the road right ahead of you but also other things on the road.

[alpha1]

Vinair, it doesn't take any amount of brain processing more than what we do using eyes to peer in the lighted up darkness (which we anyway do while driving with headlights at night and no street light).

The issue, I believe, will be that the grid is being illuminated by LED. Which means not much projection far ahead. Since car's speed is considerably higher than bicycle, you need to see the road much in advance.

This means that you will need laser illuminated grid. Perhaps that will be street illegal.


On the other hand, a normal illumination by headlights produce enough shadows, which help our brain form the height/depth of the road/objects on the road. Why would someone buy this instead?

[jacs]

Nice find Musa, never knew this. Though it looks fine for a cyclist who rides around 20kmph most of the time, is it practical for vehicles which are faster and moreover the vision through windshield would not spoil the show?

[jyobeb]

I think that it would be really useful for the madcaps who off-road at night!

[amit_purohit20]

Imagine all the vehicles having this technology. The road would be filled up with so many grids and this will cause much harm and confusion rather than a normal light bulb. Infact I am also very much against people who drive with white and bright lights and never care to dip their lights for oncoming vehicles. Increasingly India is becoming a land of uncourteous people.

[Warwithwheels]

In the Indian context, you will never get to see a straight line in the grid!

[999]

well doesn't the new S class W222 have something similar? It images the road ahead of it to prepare suspension for pot holes and craters?

[spyder918]

Good one Musa..

This is nice to have as many agree, but on lower speeds, practically no use for a car though..

Some of my insights on how this technology can be used in cars -
- Off Roading, which is usually at lower speeds, to not detect potholes, but a raw path for sure
- Parking assist, as rear lights are low, and sensors sense the obstacles, not sudden change in road patterns. If placed below car, would be cool to find yours in dark as you unlock from a distance..
- Group travel.. or when you have to Follow someones trail..can recognize your mates easily from a distance, as they would have this on.. (just a thought..)
- It is basically LED projection, so can used to project anywhere to get the surface contours..
- Like a member said, just for fun, on side ways, or below the car as you drive..
@mates...please add if you think of any more..

They come in three modes.. normal mode (14x18cm), high-speed mode (14x26cm), and team mode (30x20cm), but designed primarily for bicycles

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...d-crashes.html

[Blow Horn Ok]

This is an interesting product but i doubt its usefulness as a mainstream tool for night driving. It would be difficult to visualize the presence and distance of on-coming vehicles on a typical 2 lane road. It would also be difficult to flash signals for overtaking or warn an oncoming vehicle veering into the same lane etc especially during day.

As suggested by someone, It could be more useful as a reverse parking assist or an auxiliary light for off roading.

[icyspikey]

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[ra'ul M]

I don't think this can be used in a car because a cyclist can change his lane or direction easier than a car due to the slower speed and greater potential damage that can be caused by uneven road surfaces.

At 100 kms an hour, the grid pattern will be impossible to follow and react to, especially in India where the changes will be anything but subtle.
It would be pretty handy for off-roading though as it would present a whole new way of analysing a situation

[Joe M]

From my layman point of view, I feel it would be of less effect in cars compared to bicycles because:
(It's just my quick opinion, even though I feel it's all correct )

1. Projection angle: In a bicycle the angle of projection of the light to the ground surface is very good. As seen in the pics, the grids are projected on to the surface from atop the handle. But in cars we can't achieve anything close to this angle even if we mount it on the roof.

2. Illumination : The illumination requirements for a bicycle is very low compared to a car. This device has to project the light grid on a comparatively dim surface. But in case of a car, the surface directly in front will be highly illuminated by the headlight, which I think, can't be avoided or replaced completely with lighting from the grids. The grids won't (normally) be visible on such a highly illuminated surface.

3. Distance of the grids being projected, from the front of the car: This could be good for assessing the surface if we are moving very slow, on a rough and unpredictable surface. But for moving any faster than 30-40 kph, I think this won't help much, because we won't get enough time to react based on the inputs. And if we try to do so, we'd end up driving in zig-zag.

4. The detailing seems too much for a four wheeler : For a bicycle, the tread is just nearly 3 inches. So if he sees a small hole on the surface or a stone or something alike, he can just avoid that with a flick of the handle. But for a four wheeler we have to consider a tread wider than 1.5m. So we can't avoid things in a flick of the steering.

5. We have a headlight : I feel a headlight can help us even more in assessing what's laying in our path than partially illuminated grid. The grid will need keen attention to find things on our way.

[TurboGuru]

Great product, I'd say for bicycle
May be very helpful for 4-wheeler, specially in rural road (sans any street light)

[V-16]

I think it is an interesting product. Though i think using it in vehicles will be detrimental and against safety norms, only because if so many of them started using it and what about those Jokers who would adorn their vehicles with such stuff to make it appear Jazzy and Glitzy... but for the sake of safety on the roads, this is a brilliant product, especially if used for speed breakers and as warnings.

This kind of technology may also be used in different colours as warning systems to be used in govt or commercial vehicles to warn the motorist at night if they have stopped somewhere or if some work ig going on.