The future of automobiles as seen by Mercedes-Benz

Many critics consider German car manufacturers to be hopelessly underdeveloped. The same goes for declining sales and failed electric models. Criticism is often raised that one is not properly reading the trends of the times.

Mercedes-Benz has now responded by providing insight into its research and development activities. Mercedes-Benz hopes to open the era of hyper-personalized driving in the future through digital technologies such as augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and neuromorphic computing.

Hyper-personalized car

What exactly does the term ‘hyper-personalization’ mean? According to Mercedes-Benz’s vision, cars of the future should provide owners with a holistic and seamless digital experience that makes their lives easier and more comfortable. In other words, you need to be aware of your users’ habits, moods, and needs.

Mercedes-Benz wants to integrate AR glasses into its cars. ⓒ Mercedes-Benz

To illustrate what such a car would actually look like, Mercedes-Benz uses the example of a self-driver who wakes up in the morning, drinks coffee, and prepares for the day using a mixed reality headset. This includes checking appointments in your diary.

The vehicle autonomously leaves the garage at the appropriate time. The car’s interior is already set precisely to the current requirements, including temperature, radio station, and volume. When you get in the car, the AI ​​assistant suggests a route to the office. Since users already drink their coffee at home, they do not go through a drive-thru coffee shop.

Virtual navigation through AR

Using AR glasses, drivers can view navigation as a virtual display of the outside world at key route and turning points. If the driver wants to focus on other activities, he or she simply switches to autonomous driving mode. The car then suggests expanded tasks and experiences based on personal preferences. For example, you can choose a comfortable sofa position or continue a task you started but haven’t yet completed at home.

AR glasses guide the way. ⓒ Mercedes-Benz

In the long term, Mercedes-Benz hopes to provide customers with a new type of user experience through AR glasses. Mercedes-Benz Group pursues the BYOD method. In other words, users directly bring AR glasses customized to their individual vision and personal environment. Additionally, connectivity with the vehicle’s sensors and actuators can open up new possibilities for taking entertainment, health and comfort experiences to even more immersive levels.

mixed reality

Mercedes-Benz presents another area where it can provide potential customers with a more immersive brand experience. Mixed reality (MR) glasses allow users to interactively experience and customize virtual vehicle models in real time. This can complement the customer experience at car dealerships. For this purpose, a real-time game engine is used together with Apple Vision Pro.

Vehicle configuration through mixed reality. ⓒ Mercedes-Benz

Ideas are not limited to sales. Mercedes-Benz wants to use MR to improve collaboration among employees. MR will allow employees to work simultaneously in virtual vehicles across borders and time zones.

In the future, MR glass will enable fast and cost-effective comparison of different vehicle types to actual vehicle size. You can also visualize and virtually test new ideas faster.

Neuromorphic Computing

Mercedes-Benz is seeking new opportunities in the field of AI to reduce power consumption, which is especially important for electric vehicles. Mercedes-Benz is betting on neural networks, or neuromorphic computing, and recently signed a research collaboration with the University of Waterloo in Canada.

Neuromorphic computing will make future autonomous driving more energy efficient. ⓒ Mercedes-Benz

Neuromorphic computing mimics the way the human brain works. This allows AI calculations to be performed much more energy efficiently and quickly. These vehicles can recognize traffic signs, lanes and other road users much better and react more quickly, even in poor visibility situations. According to Mercedes-Benz, while being 10 times more efficient than current systems, neuromorphic computing can reduce the energy required for data processing in autonomous driving by up to 90% compared to current systems.

Neuromorphic systems are 10 times more efficient than today’s AI solutions. ⓒ Mercedes-Benz

Intelligent cars for smart cities

Mercedes-Benz is developing not only next-generation cars but also a vision for digitalization and future smart cities. The clear goal of this vision is that personal transportation, which is receiving a lot of criticism from various organizations today, must secure its status and legitimacy in the future.

To this end, Mercedes-Benz developed three scenarios for Los Angeles, London and Shenzhen under the name “2040+”. According to the scenario for Shenzhen, a large city in southern China, from 2040, traffic management will be based on artificial intelligence, networking and digital infrastructure. Many autonomous vehicles will then travel along separate convoy lanes networked through an integrated ‘vehicle road cloud’. With intensive development, various vertical traffic levels can be imagined.

Shenzhen’s future vision. ⓒ Mercedes-Benz

Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication could become the standard, and robots and drones could be used to automate logistics. In Shenzhen’s vision, all vehicles will be equipped with electric or electric drivetrains and generate their own electricity through solar panels.

Bicyclists use separate lanes and pedestrians use clearly marked paths. High-speed trains and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles can be used to transport goods and passengers to nearby cities. Thanks to the numerous parks and eco-friendly infrastructure, the air quality is good and the heat is low even in summer.
editor@itworld.co.kr

Source: www.itworld.co.kr