Whereas other luxury cars are merely capable of projecting simple static pictures onto the asphalt when their doors open, Bentley’s €2,000,000 Batur can do whole animations. The company says other models will follow its example soon.
In most cases, miniature projectors built into the doors of a car are used to cast light on the asphalt in the shape of a brand logo. Rather than using static diodes, though, Bentley designers implemented an incredibly complex system featuring ten lenses, two prisms, a digital micromirror and three differently colored light sources.
If you were wondering what that mirror part was: it’s a sophisticated silicon chip with 415,800 aluminum reflectors built in. Each reflector is only 16 μm wide, or about one-fifth of the width of a human hair.
The lighting principle is similar to that used in adaptive matrix LED headlights. The light hits individual mobile micromirrors and is reflected onto the asphalt. For the Batur, the default image is a side view of the car itself. That said, you can replace it with any static or animated image you like.
According to Bentley, the projector tech will be implemented in all 18 Batur units scheduled for production, as well as other Bentley cars in the future. Along with natural leather and wood accents, they are expected to gradually become the British company’s design trademark.