Mercedes-Benz Thinks Further than t

Mercedes-Benz Thinks Further than the Mere Digitalization of a Car’s Interior

According to recent studies, people are more worried about the penetration of social media and other applets into the infotainment systems of our cars than about driving under the influence, and they might be on to something here.

The dangers posed by distractions while driving are at least equal to those raised by alcohol consumption, as they don’t just slow your reflexes but take your attention away from the road altogether. But that only stands if you’re actually the one driving the car.

And just because you’re sitting in the driver’s seat doesn’t mean you’re actually doing the driving, since we’ve all agreed that autonomous cars are happening and there’s nothing we can do about it. So why not make the most of it, then?

The focus of the latest Mercedes-Benz Future Talk was the role of virtuality in the digitized automobile. The meeting, which saw a number of industry experts and journalists expose their ideas on the subject, was conducted under the motto “Going Virtual - the Automotive Experience of the Future.”

Among those present was Anke Kleinschmit, head of corporate research at Daimler, who said, “Virtuality makes in-vehicle digitisation directly perceivable. This makes it one of the key technologies for the mobility of the 21st Century. The car of the future will also open up a virtual space for its driver, becoming a "third place" between the home and the workplace.”

It’s clear that the car as we know it will be undergoing some very dramatic transformations in the near future. Most of these will be dictated by the fact that it will be able to drive itself, freeing the driver of the burden of paying attention to the traffic and enabling them to do a whole range of other activities previously restricted to their home or office.

That means the interior of cars will have to adapt to these new possibilities, which would require significant changes for most manufacturers. The appearance of ever bigger touchscreens inside the vehicles’ cockpits is a clear sign that car and notebook/tablet are becoming one.

The discussion is a lot more complex than this and you’re invited to see what a panel made up of people who know what they’re doing had to say on the matter in the press release below.