I and DVN Global Editor Daniel Stern attended ISAL 2011 last week, the very fruitful congress organized by TU Darmadt and particularly Prof. Khanh.
ISAL 2011 was an exceptional event for 3 reasons:
• Most of the 70 lectures were at a very high technological level.
They covered a diversity of new technologies as Xenon 25W, LED, high beam assistant, adaptive lighting, adaptive driving beam, matrix beam, and laser headlights, all implemented with care to improve styling differentiation and safety and to reduce energy consumption reduction.
• The majority of the 20 panels presenting the lectures which had not been selected really deserved a lecture as well; the quality of submissions this year was extremely high.
• The several booths, particularly Hella, Philips, and Osram, presenting the last technologies were very interesting.
This big success is to be credited to Prof. Khanh, arrived in 2006 to take the difficult task of replacing the irreplaceable Prof Schmidt-Clausen. He has done a fantastic job for ISAL with the support of his TU Darmstadt Team, his students, and his steering Committee which I’m very proud to be part of. ISAL can be considered as an example of its kind.
During 2 days, 600 participants enjoyed their time, hearing lectures, visiting booths and spending nice and fruitful time talking with colleagues.
Indeed, ISAL 2011 was a smashing success. What a pleasure to get together for two days with 600 participants involved in lighting, new and senior experts and managers, discussing lighting technologies, lighting physiology, lighting measurement, lighting trends, and everything else about automotive lighting! Whether in the lecture hall or queued up for lunch, or perhaps over dinner with a glass of beer or wine, what a delight to participate in a panel discussion on innovation, to meet so many people from all round the world, all focused on lighting.
I am sure that this pleasure was shared by most participants. The automotive lighting community is a great one with a long history of pleasant relationship, strong dynamism and longstanding creativity between competitors. This partly explains why so many new technologies are popping up in lighting.
Thank you Prof Khanh for this grand event! The great lighting community allowed these great innovations to come to the fore. Let us continue to work together for the collective benefit of our business. Watch for detailed coverage in DVN’s ISAL 2011 report, coming soon.
See you at VISION in October 2012 at the same period as Mondial Paris Auto Show!
Sincerely yours
DVN General editor