You might think it is impossible to recreate the nostalgic feeling of drive-in cinemas, but new technology lets you project entire movies from your headlights. Chinese tech firm Huawei has revealed the latest version of its XPixel lighting, which features an open-air cinema mode. These headlights, unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show last week, have a million pixels and offer full-colour projection. This allows parked drivers to beam whatever is playing on their in-car entertainment system onto any wall or screen in front of the vehicle.
All-Weather Performance
The headlights are said to work in all weathers, automatically adjusting to rain or fog, allowing drivers to watch movies or live sports on a big screen in any condition. Huawei's new technology is expected to be adopted by many Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers.
Industry Reactions
Tanya Sinclair, chief executive of the industry group Electric Vehicles UK, said the tech would echo the drive-in movie nostalgic feeling. Meanwhile Justin Lunny, founder and chief executive of the EV manufacturer Everrati, told The Times: 'When your headlights can project a movie onto a wall, you have stopped competing on horsepower and started competing on imagination.'
Debut in Luxury SUV
The technology will debut in the luxury five-door Aito M9 SUV and is said to be coming to a host of other cars. None are yet available in the UK, however. Apart from projecting your favourite film, the headlights also automatically adjust their brightness based on conditions while driving. Light language assistance will also beam words onto the road such as 'please go first' to help other drivers.
Additional Features
A separate xSCENE in-vehicle laser projection allows passengers to sit outside behind the car with the boot open and watch TV or films from a screen that can be pulled out from the inside. The technology that Huawei is using to underpin the new full-colour projection has already been around for about three years. It can already assist drivers – for example by showing a guided path for a lane change – or even inform pedestrians when to cross in front of the car. It can also project interactive games for children onto the floor, such as hopscotch.
Other Innovations at Beijing Auto Show
The Beijing Auto Show also saw the introduction of a six-seat electric SUV that measures 17 feet (5.2 metres) long. The imposing vehicle, from electric car manufacturer XPeng, incorporates AI technology and aims to break into the luxury market. Chief executive He Xiaopeng said the company also hopes to mass-produce flying cars in the near future. Other technologies showcased at the event include intelligent driving systems to ultrafast charging. Ahead of the show, Chinese battery giant CATL unveiled a new version of its 'Shenxing' battery, which can be charged from 10 per cent to 98 per cent in only about six-and-a-half minutes.
What the Headlights Can Do
- Beam your favourite film or live sport onto a wall or screen
- Automatically adjust depending on weather conditions
- Project words onto the road – for example 'you go first' – allowing the driver to communicate with other drivers
- Show a guided path for a lane change
- Inform pedestrians when to cross in front of the car
- Beam interactive games for children onto the floor
