This week’s news includes a special report, exclusive to DVN from GTB President Geoff Draper. In a regulated industry such as automotive lighting, conventional thinking tends to view regulations as a brake preventing or slowing the commercialisation of innovative technology and technique. Certainly that has often been the case, but it’s not necessarily so. The most recent GTB meeting highlighted ways regulations can serve to facilitate and even accelerate the market arrival of industry innovations.
How so? Several ways: Strong interest, for one; 18 of the 19 GTB member delegations—including new members China and Taiwan—participated, fielding more than 60 experts. And the GTB session was a well-leveraged opportunity to work towards a vision and road map to market for the new lighting technologies presently in development. Discussions centered round the variety of needs of the lighting community to bring better lighting to market, including getting a concrete, scientific handle on headlamp aim versus vehicle loading, and gathering steam to define and describe forthcoming new technologies such as laser headlamps, matrix beams, and OLEDs with the clarity and objectivity needed for effective, unobtrusive regulations.
GTB has a difficult task load to carry out and validate research, then shepherd the findings into proposals to amend the UN regulations so as to meet the needs of government and industry, with maximum practicable global harmonisation. Undoubtedly GTB’s able leaders and members are equal to the tasks at hand, and we can all look forward to the fruits of their efforts—for example, we look forward to the removal of some present hurdles to the wider application of LED technologies on a wider range of vehicles. Read Draper’s interesting report for detail, and as always, we welcome your feedback.
Sincerely yours
DVN Editor in Chief
