Header: Changan Global Design Center
Developed by Chongqing Changan Automobile, the “Supercomputing Star Orbit” is a fully integrated headlamp system designed as a single, elliptical lighting and display element. The project, led by Tian Jiyu, Connor Claas Hinrik, Hu Wang, Du Heng, and Chen Shouhe, was carried out at the Changan Global Design Center in China, having recently won the Automotive Lighting category at the LIT Lighting Design Awards.
The design
Designed to be used on the front of a vehicle, this headlamp replaces conventional car headlights—which are typically made up of multiple separate lighting elements—with a single, continuous unit. The elliptical form covers the vehicle’s front. It integrates lighting, sensing, and digital display functions into one single surface, allowing the headlamp to serve both as a primary light source and as an interface for external communication.
Innovative tech
The system offers several interactive modes, divided into emotional and functional categories. Emotional modes include settings such as a welcome sequence and a camping light mode, while functional modes feature options like sentinel mode and a pedestrian yield signal. Users can select or adjust these modes through the vehicle’s control screen or a mobile app.
The headlamp also includes intelligent sensing capabilities: it can detect vehicle conditions and respond to external inputs, displaying relevant information through visual signals; it can indicate issues such as faults or potential hazards in a way that is visible to nearby vehicles and pedestrians; and it has a built-in self-diagnosis function that provides maintenance alerts.
Sustainability
In terms of sustainability, the product uses recyclable materials certified under IEC 62321 environmental standards. It also incorporates a low-power, full-LED lighting system to reduce energy consumption and lower vehicle emissions. The headlamp is, therefore, designed to last a long time (up to 100,000 hours), reducing the need for frequent replacements.
