Positioned at all four corners of your vehicle, turn signals are usually more visible to other drivers on the road than pedestrians trying to cross it. So Mitsubishi Electric is developing a new indicator system that projects the vehicle’s intended path on the road, making it more obvious to everyone around it.
It’s reminiscent of BMW’s new Welcome Light Carpet that illuminates a path to your car’s door at night, but Mitsubishi’s projectors will instead indicate the direction the vehicle is travelling — forward, back, left, or right — as well as when the occupant’s are opening the doors. Any cyclist who’s ever had a collision with a car door that randomly opened should appreciate the heads up.
Powered by LEDs, the projectors will be a minimal drain on a car’s electrical systems, but in exchange should help reduce accidents, collisions, and maybe even a little road rage if they’re able to turn on automatically, eliminating unannounced lane changes.