Laser ignition

[nialloftara]

It doesn't have to kick in, you can seamlessly adjust the valve lift and duration through out the rev range, as well as either partially close or fully close a intake valve at light load to further boost efficiency like the 3 stage vtec-e system.

[Sayonara]

doesn't it work more like VTEC in it's core idea?

No. The difference between a cam-driven and camless valvetrain is more like the difference between a distributor and coil-on-spark ignition - with a distributor you have a spark coil which sends electricity to a spark by mechanically bridging a contact as it spins, and timing is adjusted for the entire engine by advancing or retart the rotor's angle. With coil-on-spark ignition, the coil sits on top of the spark it controls and the ECU commands the coil to generate a spark independently of the other pistons' coils.

Likewise, with a camless valvetrain the valves are not mechanically connected to each other, and it is therefore possible to actuate every individual valve with independent timing, lift, and duration, allowing the ECU to optimize the engine for any load condition. They do exist, and there are commercially available marine and industrial engines which use camless valvetrains, but the technology isn't yet affordable or practical for a high-volume, low-maintenance, low-cost market like car engines.

[RobtheFiend]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MultiAir

[maffc]

I've got a Multi-air engine in my Giulietta. It's a nice engine, punches way above it's weight for a 1.4L