BMW developing laser headlights

[randombloke]

The laser beam headlights will open up a world of safety features, will be twice as efficient as LED headlights, and can be up to 1,000 times stronger. The ultra efficient lighting update will save energy — and therefore gas, with their current engines — but we’re a little worried they’ll be keeping their BMW drivers safe while blinding drivers on the other side of the road.

http://inhabitat.com/bmw-to-make-las...imes-stronger/

[AnOutsider]

Read this earlier. Very smart of them, I wonder if the EV companies will go in a similar direction since battery drain is a big concern there.

[willyjp]

So how do you get white light out of a laser? The whole principle of laser light dictates that the emitted light will be monochromatic (a single wavelength) and coherent (all waves emitted in synch). It is also radiates in virtually parallel "rays", so to get anything but a dot (and a blue, green, yellow or red one at that) projected down the road you would have to have a major diffuser of some kind.

I suspect that possibly what they are talking about here is using laser radiation as an exciting source (of something) that emits non laser light. Laser light would NOT make a good headlight!!!
(makes for good marketing B.S. though)