Mercedes-Benz writes a new chapter of the Declaration of Independence at the 2012 International CES in Las Vegas

Networked access to information everywhere and at all times has become an indispensable part of daily life. That also goes for the time one spends in the car. And so consumer electronics and the automobile have become more and more tightly
interlinked in recent years, because the objective of the two respective industries was and is the same: independence for the customer. Mercedes-Benz realises this independence not only through the automobile itself. Rather, innovative telematics and infotainment systems in the vehicle and new mobility concepts afford still greater flexibility and freedom. Mercedes-Benz provides a visionary perspective with the 'DICE' (Dynamic & Intuitive Control Experience) sculpture.

"Here at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas there are some people who view the automobile as an accessory to consumer electronics. Conversely, at the auto show in Detroit there are many people who view consumer electronics as mere trimmings for the car. Both points of view miss the point - as much as a smartphone can be far more than just a tool for communication, a smart car can be more than just a means of transportation. Precisely at the interfaces between communication and mobility, vast potential for innovation lies dormant, and we intend to tap it," says Dr. Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars.

Mercedes-Benz satisfies the growing customer need for independence with its telematics strategy @yourCOMAND - the car becomes a mobile communications center that enables driver and passengers to access all modern media and services at any time. Uncoupling from the conventional vehicle development cycles is achieved on the one hand through secure and comfortable integration of the smartphone in the vehicle, and on the other hand through the use of a consistently cloud-based solution. This ensures that one is always in close touch with the rapid developments in the smartphone and computer world. Mercedes-Benz customers consequently always have access to the latest applications for comprehensive connectivity in their automobiles.

@yourCOMAND builds on four strategic pillars - holistic experience, natural interaction, sensory perfection and convenient remote control.

Digital premium through augmented reality
With the DICE (Dynamic & Intuitive Control Experience) sculpture, at the CES Mercedes-Benz provides a vision of the interactive, intuitive and simultaneously safe operating experience in premium automobiles of the future. DICE impressively demonstrates how the vehicle becomes an intelligent mobility partner through bidirectional interaction.

"The intelligent car communicates not only with the driver, but also with other transportation modes and its entire environment in order to be able to assess all relevant information for a trip and make practical use of it immediately," says Zetsche.

The complete windshield becomes a brilliant head-up display; the dashboard, a display band. Digital information about the actual vehicle surroundings, points of interest, friends, pedestrians and other vehicles is presented there and a natural interaction by means of gestures is made possible. For this Mercedes-Benz uses a combination of Augmented Reality and natural gesture control to realize a completely new, exciting form of communication between people and their environment.

The interactive logic of the novel control concept is very imitative of intuitive human behavior. Along with functional aspects it now also involves emotional and social aspects and so creates a unique operating and driving experience. For example, when one drives past a club, by a simple movement of the hand one can transmit the music playing there by live stream into one's car. In the same way, local news from social networks, about points of interest, buildings or localities can be retrieved, or news can be left for others.

Vehicles approaching intersections will be virtually superimposed on the windshield to help avoid possibly hazardous situations. To simplify the search for a parking space, mobility concepts like car2go or network information, can be used to proactively identify spaces which will become vacant soon. These are virtually displayed on the windshield, showing the actual environment.

A world first is the context-dependent, place-related presentation of the menu contents 'Media', 'Social' and 'Places' of the infotainment system as information swarm. Under 'Social', for example, friends from one's social networks are shown in the 3-D city arranged underneath. The same goes for 'Places', where the personal points of interest like restaurants or movie theaters can be stored. 3-D gestures and the swarm permit dynamic and intuitive control.

Posted in: Luxury,Mercedes-Benz