Maybach S-Class Packs Over A Million Pixels Into Its New Digital Headlights

Mercedes-Benz has been responsible for a staggering list of safety innovations. And many of those have debuted first on the S-Class. Now the top of that line is introducing a new safety technology.

Implemented on certain examples of the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is a new Digital Light system that’s far more advanced than any headlights we’ve seen to date.

The system encompasses over a million pixels of illumination in each of the headlamps. What’s more is they can be individually controlled by the on-board computers to project specific symbols onto the road to help the driver stay on the proverbial straight and narrow.

For one, the system takes the Adaptive Highbeam Assist function even further by selectively switching off individual lighting elements when a vehicle approaches in the opposite direction to avoid blinding the other driver. But that’s just the tip of this digital iceberg.

The Digital Light system can also project warnings onto the road surface for the driver to see, taking the idea of a head-up display (typically projected onto the windshield) even further.

If the system detects low-grip surface, for example, it can project a snowflake symbol in the illuminated roadway ahead. Ditto with construction sites, imminent rear-end collisions, and objects in the driver’s blind spot. It can also project helpful symbols like lane guides and distance markers to the vehicle ahead. And these are just some of the functions Mercedes engineers have integrated into the first iteration of the system.

The updated Maybach with the advanced lighting units and their two-million-plus pixels are being showcased at the Geneva show this week before they’re implemented on select fleet vehicles within the coming months. Don’t be surprised, though, to see the technology trickle down to more accessible vehicles in the near future.