The indomitable Ben Purvis has found a patent that shows the Bavarians to be at work on a new kind of adaptive headlight.
According to Purvis’s coverage (published on CycleWorld‘s platform), the headlight has gimbal technology and a camera, proving BMW’s into lean-reactive tech with even further potential for one of two things:
- Even more advanced rider assist tech
- Adaptive matrix headlight tech
What is a gimbal?
A gimbal is a device that swings freely while mounted to a fixed frame.
Used today for anything from camera and video stabilizers to NASA simulations (How Stuff Works), the gimbal was also an irreplaceable presence in ship gyroscopes, helping to neutralize the roll of the sea for an accurate reading of true north (Simrad Commercial).
How will BMW use gimbal tech in this headlight?
BMW plans on using the gimbal tech to create a more efficient system for photo capture… at least, that’s our guess based on where the camera is housed.
Currently, BMW has been managing quite fine with their optional Headlight Pro cornering light system, though that tech doesn’t capture any photos and it uses LEDs that turn on and off depending on the angle of the lean.
Riders can expect to find the Headlight Pro on BMW’s newest Gelände/Straße, the R 1300 GS.
What about the camera inside the headlight?
As for why the camera is in the center of the headlight, we’ve been told that the thing is “designed to capture at least one area of the environment,” which means there is potential for yet more advanced rider assist tech.
Here’s what Purvis thinks:
We can speculate that the camera might be related to additional rider-assist systems, like lane assist, brake assist, or adaptive cruise control, but perhaps the most likely reason for its presence would be to enable the sort of adaptive matrix headlights that are being adopted by some modern cars.These have only recently been made legal in the US and essentially allow you to leave the high-beam headlights on, even when there’s other traffic, by selectively shutting off parts of the beam to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic while keeping the rest of the road illuminated as brightly as possible.”– Ben Purvis, “BMW Gimbal-Mounted Headlight,” CycleWorld. May 15, 2024. |
What do you think of BMW’s gimbal-mounted headlight? Do you prefer the Pro Headlight currently on BMW’s R 1300 GS?