Audi highlights Matrix Laser headlight tech

The company has partnered with suppliers and educational institutions to further advance laser-headlight technology.

Audi has highlighted several advancements in adaptive headlight technology, referred to as Matrix Laser.

The automaker has partnered with suppliers Bosch and Osram, along with the lighting-technology department of the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology and the German government, to develop an "intelligent laser light for compact and high-resolution adaptive headlights" (iLaS).

The tech relies on a rapidly moving micro-mirror that redirects the beam from an Osram laser, which starts as a 450-nanometer blue beam that is converted to white light via a fluorescent filter.

The company already offers Matrix LED headlights on several models, along with LaserSpot high-beams. Combining the two technologies has been a work in progress, with a prototype previewed early last year at the Consumer Electronics Show.

The current collaboration is said to have improved the technology by implementing faster activation and deactivation of the laser diode in relation to the mirror position, quickly broadening or narrowing the beam pattern to avoid dazzling other drivers. The three-millimeter-wide mirrors also enable much finer dynamic resolution, further improving the beam projection and maximizing safety.

"The mirror used for this, which comes from the Bosch company, is a micro-optical system that features electro-mechanical control and is based on silicon technology," the company notes. "It is very sturdy and exhibits very long life. Such components are also used for accelerometers and control units for electronic stability control."

The wording suggests the technology is being developed with production in mind, though Audi has not yet announced which model might get the Matrix Laser headlights. The system has been shown on a Quattro coupe concept, which is rumored to be moving toward an auto-show debut later this year.