Posted on 4/20/2017
No one likes to get stuck behind an oblivious person that doesn't notice when a light changes, so Audi came up with a technological solution. The Audi Online traffic light recognition system could save fuel as well as annoyance, by allowing drivers to anticipate changing lights. The system works by reading the automated signals from a city's central traffic computer, and transmitting that information to the driver through the car's Driver Information Display. At a red light, the system can count down the time remaining until a change to green, as well as prime an engine start-stop system to restart the engine five seconds before that. While on the move, it can also sense whether a car will be able to make it through a green light and--if not--advises the driver to start braking early, preventing abrupt stops. Audi believes this technology could save significant quantities of fuel in city driving, where the constant start-and-stop nature of tr ... read more
Posted on 4/20/2017
This awesome story is brought to us by PopularMechanics.com. You heard right...LASER HEADLIGHTS! Who wouldn't want that?! But, how do they work, and what does this mean in actual use? At the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show, Audi announced that laser-based lights will make it into production cars. And Audi's 2014 R18 race car, which will compete at the 24 Hours of LeMans, will use six laser diodes in addition to its banks of LED lights. How do you turn a laser beam into something resembling a headlight? In the video below Audi's Head of Lighting Innovations, at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit provides an explanation. As you can see in the video, the basic answer is that a blue laser projected onto a diode produces diffuse white light, similar to the way LEDs work and perfect for a headlight. The actual laser projec ... read more