Ford Plans Ultra Modern Night Vision Lights

By Douglas A. McIntyre Updated Jul 20, 7:59AM EDT · Published Jul 19, 7:36AM EDT

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In the race among car companies for which can provide the safest headlights to spot hazards at night, Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) is working on a futurist product that may put it at the lead of the pack. It is called the “Camera-Based Advanced Front Lighting System.” Based on the advancements of new technology for cars, potential customers may look at the feature as nothing more than one more option among scores that might enhance either safety or comfort.

Ford claims the system can “see” things that are not in the direct path of the vehicle and the traditional range of its headlights:

Camera-Based Advanced Front Lighting System widens beam at junctions and roundabouts after interpreting traffic signs
GPS-enabled system uses forward-facing camera to remember roadways and direct lighting to help drivers better see bends in the road – effectively lighting the way home on previously travelled routes
Spot Lighting uses infra-red camera to detect pedestrians, cyclists, and animals, and highlight the potential hazards; system can detect up to eight potential hazards and highlight two highest priorities using specially designed headlights and on-screen display

Other manufacturers make similar claims. In 2014, Mercedes released its “Night View Assist Plus,” which it said helps with spotting pedestrians and large animals. BMW has a system that does some of the same things the Ford and Mercedes features do.

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In the battle over which car company can provide driverless technology, next generation software, crash safety features, heated seat and electric engines, the new Ford system is well behind the curve, and, thus, less likely to excite the consumer with a new reason to buy its cars. Cars sold in America have become so advanced technologically that if people cannot get cars that lull them to sleep with music and soft reclining seats, anything less seems mundane and dated.

About the Author Douglas A. McIntyre →

Douglas A. McIntyre is the co-founder, chief executive officer and editor in chief of 24/7 Wall St. and 24/7 Tempo. He has held these jobs since 2006.

McIntyre has written thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St. He is an expert on corporate finance, the automotive industry, media companies and international finance. He has edited articles on national demographics, sports, personal income and travel.

His work has been quoted or mentioned in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, Time, The New Yorker, HuffPost USA Today, Business Insider, Yahoo, AOL, MarketWatch, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, The Guardian and many other major publications. McIntyre has been a guest on CNBC, the BBC and television and radio stations across the country.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, McIntyre also was president of The Harvard Advocate. Founded in 1866, the Advocate is the oldest college publication in the United States.

TheStreet.com, Comps.com and Edgar Online are some of the public companies for which McIntyre served on the board of directors. He was a Vicinity Corporation board member when the company was sold to Microsoft in 2002. He served on the audit committees of some of these companies.

McIntyre has been the CEO of FutureSource, a provider of trading terminals and news to commodities and futures traders. He was president of Switchboard, the online phone directory company. He served as chairman and CEO of On2 Technologies, the video compression company that provided video compression software for Adobe’s Flash. Google bought On2 in 2009.