Headlights used to be stupid: on or off, high beam or low. Volvo is making them smart with a combination of sensors and cameras that maximize illumination without blinding oncoming drivers.

The Swedish automaker, renowned for its dedication to safety, is the latest to give the lowly light bulb a high-tech makeover. At next week’s Geneva Motor Show, Volvo will introduce its next-generation Active High Beam Control, which keeps your high-beam lamps on all the time, but selectively shades certain areas to avoid blinding oncoming vehicles.

The system uses a camera (also used for Volvo’s automatic braking and collision avoidance systems) mounted behind the interior mirror to detect a vehicle, object or pedestrian in your path. A computer relays that information to the headlight housing, where small metal slivers of varying sizes act as shades to control the direction and brightness of the light. Think of it as opening and closing a Venetian blind to limit the light coming through a window.

The system works with any headlamp using xenon bulbs and can shield light down to 1.5 degrees, meaning the system won’t blind motorcyclists, but can keep the high beams on to illuminate pedestrians. Volvo says the updated active headlight system will be available on its S60, V60 and XC60 vehicles this spring.

Images and video: Volvo