Picture this — it’s a pitch-black, starless night blanketed by endless sky in every direction until a set of headlights peeks over the horizon. You can tell immediately that the car is new with no information beyond the fact that the headlights are impeccably bright, white, and concentrated. Just 10 years ago, a brand new car would have lacked headlamps with the same luster, so why don’t these modern innovations receive more credit?

The reality is that the 21st century has been packed with exciting developments for the automotive industry, and headlights just aren’t as thrilling as voice assist or autonomous driving technology. Still, the ability to see the road ahead is nothing to sneeze at, so it’s high time to give headlamps their due.

How Have Headlamps Advanced?

To laymen, it may seem that headlights are a relatively simple concept, but that’s not the case at all. When automobiles were first developed, headlights were actually kerosene lamps—today that prospect sounds so outdated it’s almost laughable, but at the time it was cutting edge.

Until very recently, two main types of headlights dominated the industry — HID and LED lights. In fact, many older cars still utilize these two types of bulbs. Both of these types of lights were first unveiled in the ‘90s, followed shortly after by halo lights, which quickly became a hallmark of luxury thanks to adoption by brands like BMW.

By the early 2010s, it seemed that bright white illuminated rings may well be the highest tier that headlamps could reach. After all, halo lights were a major improvement over dim kerosene headlamps, but they were not the final frontier for headlights in the end.

How Are Headlights Continuing to Innovate?

In terms of visibility, halogen, xenon, and LED lights are considered satisfactory, but that doesn’t mean that automotive pros are done pushing the envelope just yet. In 2019, a laser headlight system that is ten times brighter than LEDs was unveiled. This system was designed by Nobel prize winner Shuji Nakamura, and it has a wide range of potential applications beyond simply lighting the road ahead.

In connected cars, this system could be utilized as a LiFi communication system, allowing for a level of seamless and total integration through light. Though this laser headlight system is not currently legal in the United States, it’s likely that lasers will supplant current systems as the high-tech standard in the coming years.

A century ago, headlamps were nothing more than a means of illuminating the path directly in front of the vehicle. While modern headlights serve the same function, they also have the potential to provide a range of other services as well.

As laser headlights become more prevalent, new opportunities for communication may soon present themselves in ways that never before seemed possible. Headlamps might not have historically felt particularly exciting relative to other advancements in the automotive industry, but that could soon change thanks to modern innovations.