A team from carmaker BMW and lighting firm Osram was nominated on Sept. 21 for the German Future Prize for the project ?Laser light technology for the automobile ? with safety and foresight into the future?.
The prize is given in acknowledgement of outstanding innovations in the areas of technology, engineering, or natural science.
Together, the two companies have developed a light source and a high beam laser technology for the automobile, already featured in the BMW i8 (since 2014) and the BMW 7 Series (since 2015).
?Besides stringent project management, the willingness to implement and the constant strengthening of the customer-supplier relationship to form a lasting and resilient partnership played a significant role,? explains Christian Amann, head of light systems at BMW.
Carsten Setzer, head of the automotive lamps division at Osram and project team spokesman, adds: ?We are very pleased about this nomination and the award that comes with being ?among the best?.
In interplay with other driver assistant functions and with luminous ranges of 600 meters, laser light technology significantly enhances the driver?s field of vision at night, thus increasing traffic safety.
At the same time, BMW and Osram have developed an integrated safety system that prevents the emission of blue laser light in the event of a malfunction, an accident or manual manipulation. This is guaranteed by several redundant safety mechanisms.
The establishment of laser technology in road traffic requires a high degree of utilization. Therefore, the current developments of BMW and Osram in the field of light technology for automobiles are aimed at reducing costs and the simplification of modular construction, the companies said.
At the same time, both companies are working on the interplay between safety, comfort, energy efficiency, and design. For this purpose, Osram has already developed further generations of laser technology, which are shortly also to be installed in other vehicle models.
BMW plans to equip several vehicle series being revised over the next few years with laser light.
Each year, the German Future Prize honors outstanding innovations in a national performance comparison ? for the 20th time in 2016.
The objective of the prize is to draw public attention to the innovation potential that exists in Germany and to illustrate the connection between technical innovation and the creation of jobs.
On November 20, President Joachim Gauck will honor one of the nominated teams with the German Future Prize 2016.
