June 11, 2009... The Mercedes-Benz ESF 2009 Experimental Safety Vehicle uses LEDs and other technology to make it perhaps the safest Mercedes ever. The car has a very uniquely designed headlight feature. Its not just the adaptive headlights that other prototypes have sported, the ESF model has some very new technology in automotive lighting. The car can have its headlights on at the hi-beam level all the time. While normal high-beam headlights can temporarily blind a person in an on-coming car, the headlights use special sensors to digitally calculate which of the 100 LEDs inside shines light that reaches the on-coming car. These LEDs are then specifically dimmed. However, the brightness of the remaining LEDs is maintained.

　　The process is reversed in the case of approaching a pedistrian. The LED lights that shine on the person are brightened to warn of the person. The lights can apparently reach beyond the normal reach area like a spotlight. Apparently the car employs some other sensors, perhaps infrared to detect people or animals in the path. It will be interesting to see who starts using similar technology.