Laser Lights

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From Jalopnik: http://jalo.ps/nxoqpy
First look at BMW’s new laser headlights
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< ="cc gpager_control cn_prev modfont" style="-webkit--shadow: rgb255, 255, 255 0px 1px 0px 0px inset, rgba0, 0, 0, 0.046875 0px 1px 0px 0px; -shadow: rgba255, 255, 255, 0.496094 0px 0px 0px 1px inset, rgba0, 0, 0, 0.046875 0px 1px 0px 0px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb201, 201, 201; border-right-color: rgb201, 201, 201; border-left-color: rgb201, 201, 201; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb153, 153, 153; cursor: pointer; height: 28px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; -: -webkit-gradientlinear, 0% 0%, 0% 100%, fromrgb248, 248, 248, torgb221, 221, 221; -attachment: scroll; -origin: initial; -clip: initial; : transparent; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px; font-family: proxima-nova-condensed-1, proxima-nova-condensed-2, sans-serif; text-trans: uppercase; font-size: 12.5px; vertical-align: middle; -: 0px 0px; -repeat: repeat repeat; ">   < ="cc gpager_control cn_next modfont" style="-webkit--shadow: rgb255, 255, 255 0px 1px 0px 0px inset, rgba0, 0, 0, 0.046875 0px 1px 0px 0px; -shadow: rgba255, 255, 255, 0.496094 0px 0px 0px 1px inset, rgba0, 0, 0, 0.046875 0px 1px 0px 0px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb201, 201, 201; border-right-color: rgb201, 201, 201; border-left-color: rgb201, 201, 201; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb153, 153, 153; cursor: pointer; height: 28px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; -: -webkit-gradientlinear, 0% 0%, 0% 100%, fromrgb248, 248, 248, torgb221, 221, 221; -attachment: scroll; -origin: initial; -clip: initial; : transparent; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px; font-family: proxima-nova-condensed-1, proxima-nova-condensed-2, sans-serif; text-trans: uppercase; font-size: 12.5px; vertical-align: middle; -: 0px 0px; -repeat: repeat repeat; ">

Not content to simply upstage sealed-beam headlamps that date back to Thomas Edison with LED arrays, BMW has laid out plans to hopscotch over LEDs with laser headlamps. These are the first pictures showing how lasers could some day light the road.
While cars with frikkin' laser beams sounds like a plot device left out of a draft from a mid-80s James Bond movie, BMW says its real motivation is energy conservation; lasers can produce about 70% more light per watt than an LED unit, enough to matter in electric vehicles like the upcoming i8 where every joule is sacred.
As the pictures show, BMW uses a set of bluish lasers beamed through "a flourescent phosphor material" that produces a headlight-like beam of white light. BMW also says the lasers could be used for new lighting tricks — but it also hasn't disclosed how it would solve some key questions, like keeping the beams precisely focused in a car.
Click through the gallery to see just how bright the future may be.

Edited by dteagles - 13 Oct 2011 at 8:24pm

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dteagles Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Club Member Joined: 09 May 2007 Location: UK, Bucks Status: Offline Points: 3476	Post Options Post Reply Quote dteagles Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Laser Lights Posted: 13 Oct 2011 at 8:23pm
	From Jalopnik: http://jalo.ps/nxoqpy First look at BMW’s new laser headlights TOP STORIES < ="cc gpager_control cn_prev modfont" style="-webkit--shadow: rgb255, 255, 255 0px 1px 0px 0px inset, rgba0, 0, 0, 0.046875 0px 1px 0px 0px; -shadow: rgba255, 255, 255, 0.496094 0px 0px 0px 1px inset, rgba0, 0, 0, 0.046875 0px 1px 0px 0px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb201, 201, 201; border-right-color: rgb201, 201, 201; border-left-color: rgb201, 201, 201; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb153, 153, 153; cursor: pointer; height: 28px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; -: -webkit-gradientlinear, 0% 0%, 0% 100%, fromrgb248, 248, 248, torgb221, 221, 221; -attachment: scroll; -origin: initial; -clip: initial; : transparent; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px; font-family: proxima-nova-condensed-1, proxima-nova-condensed-2, sans-serif; text-trans: uppercase; font-size: 12.5px; vertical-align: middle; -: 0px 0px; -repeat: repeat repeat; "> < ="cc gpager_control cn_next modfont" style="-webkit--shadow: rgb255, 255, 255 0px 1px 0px 0px inset, rgba0, 0, 0, 0.046875 0px 1px 0px 0px; -shadow: rgba255, 255, 255, 0.496094 0px 0px 0px 1px inset, rgba0, 0, 0, 0.046875 0px 1px 0px 0px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb201, 201, 201; border-right-color: rgb201, 201, 201; border-left-color: rgb201, 201, 201; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb153, 153, 153; cursor: pointer; height: 28px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: none; outline-color: initial; -: -webkit-gradientlinear, 0% 0%, 0% 100%, fromrgb248, 248, 248, torgb221, 221, 221; -attachment: scroll; -origin: initial; -clip: initial; : transparent; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 5px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px; font-family: proxima-nova-condensed-1, proxima-nova-condensed-2, sans-serif; text-trans: uppercase; font-size: 12.5px; vertical-align: middle; -: 0px 0px; -repeat: repeat repeat; "> Not content to simply upstage sealed-beam headlamps that date back to Thomas Edison with LED arrays, BMW has laid out plans to hopscotch over LEDs with laser headlamps. These are the first pictures showing how lasers could some day light the road. While cars with frikkin' laser beams sounds like a plot device left out of a draft from a mid-80s James Bond movie, BMW says its real motivation is energy conservation; lasers can produce about 70% more light per watt than an LED unit, enough to matter in electric vehicles like the upcoming i8 where every joule is sacred. As the pictures show, BMW uses a set of bluish lasers beamed through "a flourescent phosphor material" that produces a headlight-like beam of white light. BMW also says the lasers could be used for new lighting tricks — but it also hasn't disclosed how it would solve some key questions, like keeping the beams precisely focused in a car. Click through the gallery to see just how bright the future may be. Edited by dteagles - 13 Oct 2011 at 8:24pm
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Ian Conuel Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Club Member Joined: 04 Apr 2010 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 223	Post Options Post Reply Quote Ian Conuel Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 14 Oct 2011 at 8:23am
	Interesting, thanks for posting Darren. Yet another use for LASER; remember that when it was invented the technology was widely thought to be a solution looking for a problem!
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