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1 / 2014
The technology and innovation magazine www.mercedes-benz.com/next
My car gets to know me User wishes as a maxim Perfect public transport Bus Rapid Transit pervading major cities
Fuel cells
Real-time traffic data Intelligent architecture
Materiality
Comfort
Plug-in
Car of the future Knowledge networks Futurology Active safety
Driving assistance systems
Human-machine interaction
Augmented reality
Autonomous driving
Mobility concepts Automation
Passive safety
Road situation analysis Innovation processes Materials Hybrid drive Patents Sharing economy
Bionic intelligence Aerodynamics
Car-to-X-Communication Design
next is closely following the mercedes-benz vision of accident- and emissionfree driving in the age of all-encompassing digitization.
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editorial
Individual mobility is on the threshold of fundamental changes. At Mercedes-Benz, we have already been keeping an eye on worldwide urbanization and the resulting requirements for future vehicle concepts and mobility offerings for some time. Meanwhile, we are also facing new and exciting challenges through the tangible developments in the area of autonomous driving, augmented reality, and all conceivable forms of Car-to-X-Communication. As the inventors of the automobile, safety continues to be a key concern for us: Irrespective of where it is headed, the car of the future must be roadworthy, reliable, and must also ensure data security. This is what the brand with the star stands for. Our new technology and innovation magazine, Mercedes-Benz next, has a finger on the pulse of the times. This exciting magazine follows the amazing developments that will reshape the individual mobility of the future. In addition, it also reflects the technological and social dynamics of our times through input from the company and external experts. As always, we are looking forward to your reactions to this issue! We hope you will enjoy reading Mercedes-Benz next. Sincerely yours,
Thomas Weber Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development
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Making - of How can a cover story like “augmented reality” (AR) be illustrated with realistic photography if the finished product is still a few years away? Rafael Krötz, a renowned photographer with a knack for automotive subjects, had an exciting idea involving a complex installation of countless sheets of glass combined with graphic projections and backgrounds. Realized with a large team in the 860 square-meter studio, the images are deliberately left artificial. Because nobody knows what augmented reality will look like in Mercedes-Benz vehicles in a few years time. Nevertheless a 2014 S-Class is used — after all, the Daimler developers employ it as a test vehicle for their vision of augmented reality. Our cover story reveals the results of the photo shoot and a specific insight into the development status of automotive applications. starting on page 6
Augmented reality does not just feature in this issue’s cover story — you can also try out AR directly yourself. You will find the symbol above on some of the pages in this issue. When you capture a page like this with the camera on your smartphone or tablet, the device uses the appropriate app to retrieve additional content from the internet and displays it on the page. All you have to do first is scan the above QR code using the Junaio app (available free of charge for iOS and Android). on pages 21 and 47
For almost 20 years, next writer Steffan Heuer has had his finger on the pulse of Silicon Valley as a U.S. correspondent, reporting on innovations and technology trends from his base in San Francisco. Mercedes-Benz has had its own development site in the region for just as long — and 20 years ago was the only automotive manufacturer to have one there. Shortly after moving into the new head quarters, the MBRDNA experts gladly opened their doors for Heuer and photographer David Magnusson, allowing an insight into the new R&D Center and the Predictive User Experience technology developed there. starting on page 44
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Contents
Cover topic
Augmented reality (AR) augments the real world with information
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06 more than real
The car is the ideal platform for future AR applications. Daimler developers are sounding out the options of tomorrow 22 reality at a glance
AR pioneer Thad Starner on the future and origins of augmented reality 26 Augmented Reality in everyday life
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An insight into the fascinating array of AR applications
28 “safety is our first priority”
Herbert Kohler on quality standards for vehicles in times of digitization 32 Measuring the world of the car
The challenges of exact vehicle position finding 38 programmed overview
How cars are starting to understand traffic situations independently 44 My car gets to know me
Learning systems make the user’s in-car experience fundamentally more comfortable 52 Think Tank in Silicon valley
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In California, Mercedes-Benz developers are working on the in-car interactive world 56 a city bus of the highest standard
Why Strasbourg has opted for “Bus Rapid Transit” 65 Imprint 66 A side glance
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International quotes on the vision of autonomous driving
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more than REAL How augmented reality enriches the physical environment with relevant information and thereby creates enhanced safety, more comfort, and enhanced quality of life.
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the World around us is becoming more transparent with augmented reality. It reveals what lies ahead, how things work and how they are connected, what is beneficial to us, or what could do us harm.
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The car offers the best conditions for AR applications. In the future, the windshield can become an intelligently networked display.
Digital Information Layers in the car must always relieve the burden on drivers rather than overtaxing them.
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Text Steffan Heuer
Photography Stefan Hohloch Rafael Krötz
“Augmented reality” is generally understood as the computer based enhancement of the human perception of reality. Most often, however, it means visually superimposing add itional information into the observer’s field of vision on a screen or a projection surface.
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he indications are all too obvious: Man will be confronted with a completely new view of things. Technicians, surgeons, and customer service employees are experi menting with data goggles in the workplace. Tourists have their smartphones show them attractions they would otherwise overlook. And very recently, Mercedes-Benz presented several prototypes for topclass “augmented reality” (AR) on wheels, that is to say, for the enrichment of the physical environment with relevant information in real time.
or store them to the Cloud in turn. This augmented reality has not become a commercially feasible or affordable mass phenomenon yet. But initial experiments, such as the concept studies from Mercedes-Benz, and products, such as data goggles, that have almost reached production maturity, demonstrate how our view of the world will be changing in order to render new digital layers of information visible everywhere.
The dividing line between real and virtual is fading
From directional arrows, drawn virtually on the road by the on-board computer as if they’ve always been there and virtually superimposed house numbers that appear to be attached to buildings, making navigating child’s play even in an unfamiliar city, to futuristic gesture control that turns the entire windshield into a living projection surface which lets drivers and front passengers interact with the vehicle, their current location, and their personal data — thanks to AR, the dividing line between reality and the virtual world is fading. Our view of the world is changing
In everyday life, this means that the world will be superimposed with constantly changing, updated and personally tailored data that reveal the secrets of every street, every tree, every house and even of the night sky, and superimpose them in the field of vision. This is made possible by small but increasingly more powerful computers in concert with low-cost sensors and intelligent algorithms that process a steady stream of data from the Cloud
AR will make the human-machine interface more immediate, more intuitive, and more personal.
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“Augmented reality lies at the interface of safety and comfort.” Peter Ebel Telematics Systems Functions at Daimler
In the interview You’ll find the entire conversation with AR pioneer Thad Starner from the Georgia Institute of Technology starting on page 22.
In the long run, AR has the potential of offering people more knowledge at the right place and at the right time as well as more safety, greater productivity, and a better quality of life. Furthermore, experts consider augmented reality to be a technology that is closely linked to the vision of autonomous driving, because it is capable of creating an immediate, intuitive, and very personal interface between humans and machines. Automotive applications are the logical step
In this context, the automobile is one of the most important fields for testing and application: “Augmented reality is at the interface of two basic subjects: safety and comfort. It is the next logical step in the technological development to relieve the burden on human beings to enable making optimal use of a car,” says Peter Ebel, head of the Telematics Systems Functions department at Daimler in Sindelfingen. “That is one of the key aspects in transitioning today’s car to the world of tomorrow.” Since mid - 2013, a special team in Ebel’s department has been working exclusively on the question of how the virtually expanded view of an on-board display or through the windshield can be advanced from a research project to production maturity. This means finding answers to a number of questions that researchers and technology experts have been wrestling with since the 1960s. What information is useful or necessary for the user — in this case for the driver or the passengers? How should it be presented in order to be optimally perceived without being distracting? And how do these expectations match what is technically and economically feasible, for example when it comes to the size and native resolution of a display, the processing speed and, in particular, the precise overlay of information on reality? “An engineer can superimpose all kinds of interesting or entertaining data, but for a normal person this leads to cognitive overload very quickly,” explains Ebel, getting to the heart of the objective. “We want to create stress-relieving comfort.” AR isn’t entirely new in science or industry. Rather, it has finally arrived at the threshold of technical feasibility and economic efficiency, as argued by computer scientist Thad Starner, who coined the term “augmented reality” as far back as 1990. “The time has come. Today we can proceed from the assumption that AR systems work,” says the professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, who is also one of the technical development managers for Google Glass, the company’s data goggles. Starner is pleased to note the renewed interest in AR. While the early pioneers still pursued bold visions in the 1960s but were hampered by the technological restraints of the times, researchers in the 1990s again tried to solve the “computer vision” problem, the so - called “contact-analog” superimposition in the correct location. In other words: How can a computer superimpose virtual objects on a camera image as precisely as possible — especially if the observer, the viewing angle, the object, or all three variables are moving?
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This Mercedes-Benz S-Class provides the experimental platform. It is a research lab on wheels and already displays AR contents on the screen.
Smartphones were the first to reveal the potential
In the beginning, the results often came in the form of clumsy displays that only worked if a connected computer was clipped to the person’s belt. Because of their size and high cost, they were only used for special applications — for example, for maintenance of highly complex machines such as aircraft. The introduction of the smartphone, in particular the first iPhone in 2007, represented a turning point. It opened the eyes of the broad masses to the wealth of information available through mobile access. And smartphones as well as tablet computers enticed developers to explore how an entertaining link between the Internet and reality could be created, with a constant stream of new apps. This resulted in initial applications that added names and other details from the Cloud to unknown peaks in the Alps or to an aircraft in the sky, as long as the user looked at the display. Data goggles, which some manufacturers are bringing
or have already brought to market, point the way to the next evolutionary step of augmented reality: superimposing important data directly into the field of vision, thus enabling better and faster perception. Despite these advances, the automobile offers a number of solid advantages when it comes to literally wearable AR. It has a secure power supply and powerful antennas that enable fast data throughput. The dashboard or the windshield are ideal as surfaces for installing displays or for projecting information directly into the field of vision. Initial AR applications can already be found in series production
“Certain facets of augmented reality are already present in today’s production cars, such as driver assistance systems, which use sensors and cameras to capture information that is relevant to safety and comfort and convey it to the driver,” says Marc Necker, manager of the newly established AR team at
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Peter Ebel Telematics Systems Functions at Daimler
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“ The technical components for AR are all available now and also affordable to a large extent.” Marc Necker Augmented Reality at Daimler
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... aimler. In Necker’s evaluation, augmented reality in passenger D cars will reach production maturity in three evolutionary steps. The first and current stage is based on data from cameras and radar and ultrasound sensors already installed in the car. Software can determine the coordinates of an object and then 0632this recognize whether it is a person or a thing and indicate accordingly in the video image on a display. The second evolutionary step, which is currently under going intensive development and testing, incorporates GPS 0.5 data. This allows assigning virtual information precisely to 0.8 an object. “We are able to position a virtual object in the landscape, because the car knows where it is at the moment and in which direction it is moving or in which direction the driver is looking. As a result, the object can be positioned accordingly in the video image,” explains Necker. He adds that because this positioning was based on GPS data with an accuracy around 10 meters, it was still relatively imprecise and sometimes off 27. by several meters if not corrected.
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An experimental platform demonstrates the future of automotive navigation
An experimental platform based on the S - Class from Mercedes-Benz offers an initial concrete outlook of the use of the technology in and around the car: When you take your place behind the wheel, you experience the prototype of an AR navigation system that highlights the exact route of the road being traveled with a “carpeted road” comprised of blue directional arrows. In addition, points of interest in the vicinity are marked on the display: street names, clearly legible white house numbers that appear to be attached to a building shaded in blue, and symbols indicating a gas station or a train station. “With a system like this, you’ll never again have to turn around at the last moment because the house number you’re looking for is hard to read, for example,” says Dirk Olszewski, Use Cases and Functions at Daimler. This type of stress-relieving comfort already places significant demands on computing power. To compensate for the imprecision of GPS data, the Daimler engineers have developed a mathematical model of vehicle movement that incorporates a number of sensor data sets. Algorithms must predict curves and inclines as well as body roll and pitch of the vehicle when the road is bumpy or during braking or accelerating and compensate for them mathematically. This is because superimposed information can only be kept in “contact-analog” display mode if the exact position and orientation of the camera is known in any driving situation. “When it comes to AR, precision is what separates the wheat from the chaff. This exceeds the capabilities of most systems on the market today,” says Necker. “Only if the virtual information actually appears to be attached to the real object and moves with it, does a human perceive them as an intergral whole.” Christian Grünler, Vehicle Technology and Systems Integration at Daimler, points out that it is only the presentation in a stable location that makes the additional information
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“ Only presentation in a stable location makes the additional information intuitive to understand.” Christian Grünler Vehicle Technology and Systems Integration at Daimler
intuitive to understand for the user. A directional arrow on the road must therefore look and act as if it were actually painted there, otherwise the human eye will reject it as a disruptive foreign object. In that case, the virtual navigation aid creates more distraction than relief. In addition, consumers and experts alike want the virtual layer to be as close and as simple as possible in front of their eyes. The S - Class today already has two 12.3 - inch screens that allow showing separate contents (“Splitview”) to the driver and front passenger. In addition, selected relevant information can be projected onto the windshield. In initial concept studies, Daimler has demonstrated how the entire windshield can be transformed into an intelligent big screen. The DICE sculpture — short for Dynamic and Intuitive Control Experience — made headlines at the inter national electronics trade show CES in Las Vegas in early 2012. Today’s head-up displays are able to superimpose almost all colors and shapes, but only in the size of a postcard.
“ You’ll never again have to turn around at the last moment because the house number you’re looking for is hard to read.” Dirk Olszewski Use Cases and Functions at Daimler
The Vehicle Surroundings shown on the on-board display of the Daimler experimental platform are supplemented with digital information layers as a navigation aid.
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The DICE concept allows users to travel virtually along a main traffic artery in San Francisco and to interact broadly with their environment and the vehicle functions through gesture control. DICE superimposes points of interest and offers the driver or front passenger the option to access additional details. Functions such a making a phone call, listening to music, or accessing Cloud data can also be activated and controlled by hand gestures. To bring these ideas to production maturity, AR should be truly based on the environment, meaning it should climb the third evolutionary step. “The vehicle must understand its environment well enough to be able to tell reliably that a turn arrow belongs on the second lane from the right, because it knows that the user should take the right lane,” says Ebel. “However, it will be at least another five to seven years before we get there.” In addition to what is technically feasible, there is the question of what tasks mobile AR should perform. Monitors
augmented reality
and head-up displays serve different purposes for enhancing safety and navigation. A monitor offers a larger field of vision and thus more space to display information. However, it requires the driver to take his eyes from the road, even if only for an instant. Head-up displays allow keeping the eyes on the road, but have to minimize the information density in order not to be distracting or confusing. In future, environment- and context-based will also mean taking relevant information from the user’s personal cloud into account and integrating personal calendars, correspondence, or social networks, for example. Ebel said: “How would it be if we could not only virtually paint the house number on a building, but also provide a reminder that the next meeting with a certain person will take place there? AR allows us to display things that previously didn’t fit or couldn’t be conveyed.” If people are presented with relevant information promptly, precisely, and in a way that is intuitive to understand, they
The human senses and AR
To find their way around, people not only perceive objects as individual elements; they also experience them collectively. AR developers harness some laws of human perception to present information in a way that can be understood as intuitively as possible.
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People perceive interrelated elements as one object.
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Objects that are close together are recognized as belonging together.
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Two or more objects moving in the same direction are perceived as a unit.
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develop growing confidence in the abilities of their vehicle to find its way in traffic and to increasingly take the weight off them. In this way, the development of AR goes hand in hand with the evolution of adaptive systems and the vision of autonomous driving. The automobile provides the ideal interface to the world of wearable devices because it allows the user to change between different AR experiences — from a simple directional arrow directly in front of the retina to the high - resolution display of an entire street in the vehicle where each building is enriched with data. Daimler has already conducted tests on this connection between wearable computers and the car as well. For example, the development engineers built a prototype that allows “door - to - door” navigation by means of AR. As long as the driver is at the wheel, the navigation system installed in the vehicle provides guidance to the destination. If the driver continues on foot for the last stretch, the route is superimposed on his or her view through the data goggles. In future, it will also be possible to integrate smartwatches or fitness trackers into a vehicle’s Wi-Fi network. Step by step, this creates a tight - knit and dynamic connection between reality and the Internet of Things. “AR is not just better than the road atlas at the steering wheel,” says Daimler expert Ebel. “Why shouldn’t we beautify the surroundings on a dull day or on a long trip? We could make the trees blossom in November or virtually reconstruct a Roman ruin at the roadside. These are all things that will transform tomorrow’s car from a mere means of transport to a ‘third place’ between our home and our workplace. We will thus not only create safety and comfort but will also gain more time for living.”
Intelligent AR apps Wikitude ff A
kind of Wikipedia for the environment, whose data is fed into the camera image from around 3,500 sources — from tourist attractions to restaurant reviews.
ff for
iOS, Android, Blackberry, and Windows
Yelp Monocle ff The
popular restaurant app can be transformed from the simple list view to an interactive periscope.
ff for
iOS, Android, and Kindle
Google Ingress ff A
science fiction game where players divided into two enemy camps collect points in the real world and must find secret portals.
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iOS, and Android
Layar and Junaio ff Two
versatile apps, which bring printed pages to three-dimensional life when viewed through your mobile device.
ff Layar:
Hyperlink
Interview with Daimler AR experts Peter Ebel and Marc Necker ff
ext.mercedes-benz.com/ n en/ar-interview-en
for iOS, Android, and Blackberry Junaio: for iOS, and Android
Google Sky Map and Satellite AR ff A
look through the mobile phone highlights and explains stars, constellations, and satellites in the sky.
ff Google
Sky Map: for Android Satellite AR: for Android
Spyglass ff This
app for adventurers superimposes maps, a compass, gyroscope, sextant, and other important navigation aids onto the landscape.
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Experience AR yourself
Put augmented reality to the test on this page: Install the Junaio app, scan the QR code on page 4 and experience AR for yourself.
“ Virtual information enriches users’ experience as they interact in the real world.”
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Interview Steffan Heuer
Photography Audra Melton
ThAd Starner is a professor of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta and is the Technical Lead/Manager in the development of Google Glass. In 1990, Starner coined the term “augmented reality” and was one of the first researchers to fit himself with a wearable computer in order to be connected everywhere at all times.
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Computer vision pioneer and Google Glass developer Thad Starner on the long path of augmented reality (AR) into our daily lives
NEXT: Mr. Starner, you introduced the concept of AR or “augmented reality” about 25 years ago ... Strictly speaking, this concept has been around for much longer. Back in 1967, Herbert Upton created one of the first systems because he was deaf. He fitted LEDs to the lenses of his glasses. Depending on what sounds the interlocutor made, different LEDs would light up even though he could not read their lips. Then came the “Sword of Damocles” developed by Ivan Sutherland and Bob Sproull in 1968, which was the first head-mounted display. As you looked around the room, the device inserted graphics into the field of vision and adjusted them to the wearer’s perspective. Researchers like myself began to focus on how to make computer-generated graphics as close to
reality as possible in order to carry out certain tasks like repairs, for example. How would you describe the current state of AR technology? First, we must define what we mean when we use the term AR today. I coined the term in 1990 because “artificial reality” had already been used in all possible, non-technical contexts. For me, AR means being able to access information on the go. This information complements our actions but does not replace them as in the case of virtual reality. In this sense, a bird’s-eye view of my position on a map is a case of AR. With today’s wearable devices like Google Glass, Telepathy One, and Vuzix, we have gone back to my original definition: providing users with virtual information that enrich their
“ AR makes use of this short span between thought and action.”
experience as they interact in the real world. You could say that the earlier, broader definition of AR has come back to life. What obstacles have prevented AR from becoming a mass phenomenon for all these years? Wearer comfort, fashion, battery issues, digital networks. The question of what is possible and should be done with AR. However, weight has been the biggest problem. In the beginning, many believed that they needed full-fledged AR systems with wide displays. However, that was only possible for large systems that could be worn for half an hour at the most and were in no way suitable for a daily eight-hour shift. These early systems were simply too heavy, too clumsy, and too uncomfortable. And even the simpler models were quite expensive at 3,000 dollars — for the display alone, not including the computer. So there was a great deal of innovation but no real breakthrough? Thousands of such AR systems were sold between the 1990s and today. They were clearly well-made, but their time was yet to come. There were no smartphones, and so people found it difficult to understand what
they could do with mobile navigation or games. As a result, display pioneers had an uphill task. You could either make a name for yourself with a wearable video display that could make you no money, or you could develop games to be played at home. In the area of production, manufacturers focused on car design and airplane maintenance, for which they created integrated systems where the computer would be worn on the belt and was a fixed part of the display. These devices sold because they made things more efficient. However, even after smartphones came on the market, it was not easy to connect them to external displays. Is the advent of Google Glass a turning point that is going to make AR a crowd puller? This project brings the topic to the forefront. Glasses have a certain fashion appeal. In addition, Google Glass is linked to the Google brand and, thirdly, people have meanwhile understood how useful a smartphone is and what its limitations are. Like how long it takes to reach for your phone, unlock it, and launch an app. AR makes use of this short span between thought and action. Furthermore, all of these networks are literally before our eyes thanks to the Cloud. Today, you can be assured that such devices work.
Will augmented reality really become mobile on a broad base? There are four dimensions that have to be considered for every device. First — energy consumption and the resulting heat generated — this is always the greatest limiting factor. Second — the user interface, third — user privacy, and fourth — network access. A car has clear advantages: a large battery and a big antenna, both of which ensure a good connection. Above all, the user is still and has comparatively limited space to move around. Therefore, you can incorporate high-quality AR displays in cars, and there are many sound reasons to do so. When the driver wants to change radio stations, for example, he is generally distracted for one and a half seconds. A headup display that is projected onto the windscreen is clearly a better option. There are studies that show that people can process information 50 percent faster in this way. It sounds like AR can have many useful applications in a connected car — without the usual limitations of mobile devices. It all depends on what you want to achieve. On the move, I need an interface that reacts quickly and does not require much concentration, in other words, maximum utility with minimum distraction without draining the battery. So there is no place for complicated graphics and animation. Such devices should only kick into action when we have something interesting like a QR code before our eyes. You press a button to activate the “computer vision” function and the information will
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AR in 1996 with huge glasses and extensive electronics. Thad Starner (front right) with research colleagues from the MIT Media Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
“ People react with curiosity, amazement, or enthusiasm.” 24 25
be downloaded and displayed. This kind of AR at the push of a button is quite attractive, and therefore most modern AR systems offer such micro-interactions. Could you give us an example? Let’s look at translation on a smartphone or data glasses. I see some text and a translation in the language of my choice is displayed — only for as long as it takes me to read the text or the sign. Will wearable devices and connected cars merge to create a seamless experience? Like I said, there are always four dimensions to be considered for AR, and networks is one of them. Soon, vehicles will be sharing data with each other and will become Wi-Fi hotspots with good battery life. This means that I can use my car to create a reliable connection for my mobile devices. My car thus becomes an auxiliary system for the many personal devices that I do always have
on me. As soon as I am back in my car, I change over to the optimum experience. What, in your opinion, are today’s most exciting AR prototypes? The first thing that comes to my mind are devices that aid the visually challenged. Let’s assume that I am blind and am holding a can or package at the supermarket. If I want to know what it is, I can send someone who is online a photo or video, and they can give me the necessary information. This application is call VizWiz and it already exists. In its first year of existence, this system has already helped around 5,000 people with 60,000 such queries. This application is now also available for Google Glass. Here at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, we have developed “Captioning on Glass”, a kind of live subtitling system for the hearing impaired. You give the interlocutor a smartphone and have them press a button and talk. The smartphone looks for the transcription
online and then displays the text on the screen and the glasses. And, finally, we have also developed a pair of electronic gloves called “Mobile Music Touch” that not only teach you how to play the piano, but also present completely new possibilities for rehabilitation. Do you think that augmented reality will become widely accepted in the coming years? Or do you think that society will first have to learn how to deal with this new technology and its quirks? Mobile computers have been around for years, strictly speaking, since the introduction of the first MP3 player. Smartphones have already been a part of our daily lives for some time. I think that opposition or discontent with things like Google Glass in isolated cases is just amplified on a broad base in the media. When I walk around with my data glasses, people always react with curiosity, amazement, or enthusiasm.
Augmented Reality in everyday life From navigation and healthcare to education, this future technology enriches daily life in an exciting array of applications.
AR motorcycle helmet
An all-round view for increased safety
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eveloped by Fusar Technologies in New York, the “Guardian” motorcycle helmet projects important data onto the visor. This provides the rider with key information about traffic conditions, the weather, or the location of the nearest gas station, whilst also affording a 360 - degree view. A camera on the back of the AR helmet relays what is going on behind the driver. The helmet can also take photographs and record traffic events in the manner of a black box. Other benefits include the ability to view the instrument panel display inside the helmet and a continuous internet connection.
Data glasses in the Operating room
X-ray vision in 3D
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here are many possibilities for using augmented reality in medical applications. The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is working on a practical implementation. In conjunction with the university’s surgical clinic, the Chair for Computer Aided Medical Procedures & Augmented Reality is developing a computer aided visualization and navigation system for minimally invasive surgery. At the push of a button, surgeons will be able to look into a patient’s body, layer by layer down to the bone, without needing to use a second screen. To do this, previously captured tomography images are superimposed on the patient’s body. The data glasses give the surgeon a 3D view, thereby facilitating greater precision.
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Construction kits for kids
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Airport app
Getting to the gate faster
here are many potential uses for augmented reality for learning purposes. The Stanford Graduate School of Education, for example, has developed the LightUp kit to get children excited about electricity and experiencing what can be an abstract topic in a hands-on way. The kit contains magnetic LED (light emitting diode) modules for assembly and connection to a switch. There is a related learning app for smartphones: Hold the phone over the circuit for an animated view of the electricity flowing. 26 27
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Digital diver’s mask
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t is now easier to find your way around Copenhagen Airport thanks to an augmented reality app developed by software company Novasa together with the City of Copenhagen and SITA, an organization providing information technology services to the air transportation industry. This is the world’s first indoor AR application for navigation using your own smartphone. Within just a short time, the app was downloaded more than 100,000 times. A recent update includes enhanced functions to guide passengers around the airport. The smartphone camera scans the surroundings and is able to navigate passengers to the right gate, for instance, or show nearby stores and restaurants.
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Global market for mobile AR applications (millions of users, *forecast)/ juniper Research © Statista 2014
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ive in and discover amazing coral reefs — with AR even a swimming pool can feel like the sea. The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology (FIT) in Sankt Augustin (Germany) has developed prototypes for a new kind of diver’s mask, which turns an ordinary indoor pool into a tropical world full of underwater plants, fish, and shells. A waterproof, transparent display in front of the mask lets the diver see the real environment, as well as virtual objects. In addition to leisure applications, there is potential for this technology to be used by professional divers for repair work underwater.
Interview Rüdiger Abele Josef Ernst
Photography oliver Schwarz
“ Safety is our first priority ” Herbert Kohler, Head of Group Research and Sustain ability at Daimler, on the high standards required of automobile technology in a digital age.
NEXT: Mr. Kohler, the Mercedes-Benz brand sets the benchmark very high with its products and continues to define the industry. How do you achieve that? That’s no secret. It’s not just about having the right vision; it’s a question of hard work too. Take our research project on autonomous driving that involved covering a long distance on public roads without driver intervention in a vehicle fitted with near-production technology. Behind that achievement, there’s a large team of skilled experts who have been working on this issue for years. Prior to the public presen tation, work has to be completed on countless computer simulations, initial vehicle prototypes and finally the finished technology platform, before there can be any question of preparing for series production. Everything the experts do is based around the brand values. We invented the auto mobile, and since then we have always played a prominent pioneering
role in the field of automotive engineering. This sets the bar very high for our activities and our products. Our aim, to put it simply, is to deliver the best. Not only in terms of efficiency and comfort but in terms of safety too. Each of our technologies reflects these values. How will the increasing digitization of the automobile affect safety? The issue has been much discussed, and quite rightly. Digital technology opens up whole new possibilities in everyday situations. But it’s most evident in the form of the smartphone, which has revolutionized many practices. These small, top-quality de vices literally place a whole world of possibilities in your hand. Obviously, given that many people spend a lot of time in their automobiles, the wish then arises to take this new world into the automobile environment. We can consider the smartphone, then, as a pacemaker for new automotive applications, at least in some
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digitization
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Herbert Kohler has worked at Daimler since 1976. The various posts and responsibilities he has held have always combined a focus on the environment, technology, and traffic, and he continues to promote these aspects in the Group’s future - oriented planning today. Herbert Kohler is an honorary professor of the University of Stuttgart and has been Chief Environmental Officer at Daimler since 2002.
areas. But as a manufacturer of complex vehicles, we have to understand that we have a tremendous responsibility when it comes to implementation. Because our vehicles travel on public roads — and in higher-speed environments — there can and must be no distraction from the complex surrounding situations, and we must be absolutely sure of the operational safety of both hardware and software. That’s why safety is our first priority when it comes to integrating new technologies into the automobile. People tend to forgive the smartphone the odd lapse. We get annoyed and maybe have to restart the device. But in the auto mobile, any lapses — whether caused by the driver’s use of the systems or the vehicle itself — can have fatal consequences. As a result, we apply far more stringent quality criteria. Can those criteria be met? Of course. It’s a standard process. The automobile becomes more elab orate and complex with every new generation, and our researchers and developers ensure that the technology on board is controllable. If not, we would not bring it to the road. With every new vehicle, we push back the boundaries of what can be achieved. We advance step by step and expand the limits of feasibility. Every now and then, new technologies provide new impetus and at the same time help to shift the technological barriers. It all adds to the allure of the automobile. Back to autonomous driving. Doesn’t it disempower the driver? It’s best to think of autonomous driving as an additional function — we see it as an extra that we can offer our customers. It’s another technological development that is designed to make the driver’s life easier. We have been offering assistance systems for some time now.
“ People tend to forgive the smartphone the odd lapse. We get annoyed and maybe have to restart the device. But with the automobile we apply more stringent quality criteria.” DISTRONIC, for example, has been around for many years, and we have kept on developing it. You activate it and make use of it — or choose not to. Many of our customers use the system every day and wouldn’t be without it. They’re already involved in an initial stage of autonomy on the road, because DISTRONIC automatically keeps you a set distance from the vehicle in front. A lot of people think it’s all about building vehicles without a steering wheel and letting the automobile do all the driving for you. That’s not our understanding of it. As I said, for us autonomous driving in its various aspects is one more extra function that we can offer our customers. What can an automobile manufacturer learn from Apple and other companies? The speed of innovation of electronics and software enterprises is often underlined as one of their strengths. They are fast; there’s no disputing that — but often they’re only presenting updated software applications and selling them as a major novelty, while the hardware is virtually unchanged. That’s something we can learn from: separating the software from the hardware so that we can keep introducing updates and improvements via the software throughout the life cycle of an auto-
mobile. Another thing we can learn from is the uncomplicated approach of some of these enterprises: many of them have a refreshingly positive, go-ahead attitude — and occasionally they even manage to open up new markets as a result. We can learn from this, although, of course, we mustn’t undermine our precision or safety standards in the process.
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How do you prepare vehicles so that they can be kept state of the art at all times? By separating the hardware and software, as I’ve already said. But also by extending memory capacities so that a reserve is available for future software needs. The automobile will become even more updateable than it is today — it can be kept state of the art with what we could term a digital facelift. We also expect major advances in this area with the incorporation of real-time traffic data, which helps ensure that the navigation system keeps pace with alterations in the road and traffic situation. We have already put this into practice in the S-Class. We are even going in the direction of map updates in real time. The issue will become even more challenging when communication between vehicles, so - called Car-to-X-Communication, becomes a part of everyday reality.
The internet is always driving new developments. Can tech nology development at Daimler benefit from this? We are always open to new market mechanisms and technological developments. But if we look at some of the more recent internet phenomena, including the security vulnerabilities that have come to light, we arrive at the hub of the matter: in the automobile, you have to deal with certain things differently and, ultimately, in a much more professional manner in order to meet infinitely more exacting standards. I can only emphasize that the issues of safety and security already take up a great deal of our time and will continue to be crucial factors. What can we expect in terms of “digital lifestyle” in the automobile? Various facilitative functions will be introduced in order to integrate the digital lifestyle perfectly on board.
digitization
Voice recognition will play a major role. This will work even more precisely in future and systems, including those in the automobile, will understand normal spoken sentences, even dialect. Voice output will be improved too, so that e-mails can be read aloud, for example. What is Mercedes-Benz’s philosophy when it comes to integrating new technologies into the automobile? Each new technology must demonstrate that it can function absolutely reliably in the automobile and, if necessary or expedient, interact with other components at the highest level. The customer should only perceive the advantages. We talk about a “seamless experience” of the new technology. In the end, the degree of perfection is the defining factor in a Mercedes-Benz — perfection is our benchmark, and it is what our customers demand.
The digital World is increasingly finding its way into cars, one example being Mercedes-Benz Apps for COMAND Online in the S - Class. Unlike for smartphones or tablet PCs, however, automotive applications must fulfill much higher requirements in all safety-critical areas.
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Localization
Text Kai-Holger Eisele Y
Illustrations Iassen Markov
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Measuring the world of the car 32
Researchers at Daimler are working on the ability to determine the position of a vehicle with pinpoint accuracy — a key requirement in the development of autonomous driving systems.
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ver the next decade, autonomous driving will gradually become a reality on our streets. Mercedes-Benz is slowly introducing new autonomous drive functions in its series models, which will enable cars to take over more and more tasks from the driver, making the job of driving easier in situations such as in traffic jams or on the freeway. The ultimate goal is a fully self - driving car offering the highest level of comfort and convenience for the occupants and maximum safety for all road users. Until that point is reached, every effort is being made at Daimler to develop the wide range of technologies required to introduce fully reliable autonomous systems in everyday traffic situations.
Sensor technologies — the hardware that accurately determines the immediate and wider environment of a self - driven car by way of a camera, radar, and ultrasound — are key, as are information technology and intelligent data processing. The challenges are complex: the vehicle’s environment not only has to be detected, but recognized, interpreted, and correctly ‘understood’ by the system as part of continuous road situation analysis (starting on page 38). To ensure that this analysis is absolutely reliable, the data from the various sensors are not analyzed individually but pooled together (‘sensor fusion’). Using this analysis, the driverless vehicle is then in a position to plan future maneuvers and carry them out within milliseconds using electronically controlled steering, brakes, and drive systems. This has to happen much more quickly than if a h uman were driving the car. It is absolutely critical to be able to locate the position of a vehicle on a map with complete accuracy in order for the autonomous drive system to analyze a situation and plan a maneuver. In other words: the vehicle can only make the right decisions and determine the optimal path to a chosen destination if it is ‘aware’ of its own location in the world. The technical requirements for identifying a vehicle’s location are extremely complex because conventional
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Driving path
Calculating the ideal line The computer - calculated path defines the exact boundaries of the space through which the driverless car can safely travel to a selected destination. The calculation is based on numerous parameters such as the current location, the lane width, topography, speed limits, and the dimensions of the vehicle. Within this safe c orridor lies the ideal trajectory of the vehicle — its precise path of travel in three - dimensional space over time, whereby potential obstacles must also be taken into account. How far in advance the path must be c alculated depends to a large extent on the speed of the vehicle.
Precision location finding in the blink of an eye
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Localization
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satellite-based systems that determine the position of a vehicle, such as GPS navigation systems, do not provide sufficiently accurate data. “GPS provides location information with decimeter accuracy — but, depending on the situation, we need an accuracy of no more than twenty centimeters for highly autonomous drive functions,” explains Martin Haueis, Head of Localization and Data Management at Daimler’s Corporate Research and Pre-development unit. Take the example of an intersection: on the one hand, the autonomous vehicle has to drive far enough onto the intersection so that its sensor systems can reliably detect approaching road users even when visibility is poor. On the other, it must not drive so far onto the intersection that other road users are obstructed or, in the worst case, put at risk. Needless to say, location accuracy with a variance of several meters is by no means sufficient. The degree of precision required for identifying a vehicle’s location also depends on the environment in which the autonomous vehicle is traveling, says Haueis. Complex situations demand a high level of accuracy
Greater accuracy is required for complex traffic situations, such as in urban areas where cars have to make turns, and there
are sidewalks, traffic lights, and roundabouts, than on freeways. Whatever the scenario, the system has little time to determine its location: this has to happen within a tenth of a second (100 milliseconds). An interval approximately corresponding to the duration of the flicker of an eyelash. Maps with enhanced information density
In future, highly accurate digital maps, which will contain far more information than navigation systems today, will be an important tool for defining a vehicle’s environment at a given position. Different layers of the map will hold information on lane patterns and lane widths and the location of traffic signs, traffic lights, and buildings and have an accuracy of up to ten centimeters. These innovative maps are created with the use of special measuring vehicles, similar to ones already used by map manufacturers today. When a vehicle is being autonomously driven, it identifies its own location on the digital map. Landmarks stored on the map are used to calculate the exact position of the vehicle using ‘correspondence finding’, which is accurate to within centimeters. Once this happens, the sensor fusion and road situation analysis system get information from the digital map about the road ahead and about traffic
lights, pedestrian crossings, stop signs, and more. This means that a model of the environment is available to the car as it travels, which draws on information that is captured by the sensors and information from the digital map. This also balances out some of the weaknesses inherent in today’s maps and sensors. The dynamic information not included in the pre-recorded digital map data is provided by the sensors, while the limited visual range of the sensors — they cannot ‘see’ around objects that obscure the view, for example — is offset by the map, which already knows the course of a road around a bend. Daimler specialist Haueis is thinking far beyond the technical limitations of today, however. “Our vision is to involve vehicles in the updating of digital maps,” he says, “so that vehicles keep the map information up to date by constantly submitting map changes and reporting roadworks or new roundabouts to
Vehicle sensor system
The eyes and ears of the car Thanks to a forward - facing stereo camera, the autonomous Mercedes-Benz S 500 INTELLIGENT DRIVE research vehicle is able to know where it is by reference to the lane. Images from the rear facing camera are compared with features on a map.
the relevant back - end system.” At the same time, every vehicle benefits from the information it receives in the network. Today, direct communication between vehicles (Car-to-Car-Communication) is already possible with sensor data about traffic jams or accidents being sent to cars behind — irrespective of whether they are driven autonomously or by a person behind the wheel. Location finding with the help of the stereo camera
The type of data that must be contained in the individual layers of the map for an autonomous car will be driven by the needs of sensor fusion, road situation analysis and vehicle localization. For the successful test drives of the autonomous S 500 INTELLIGENT DRIVE research vehicle, which took place in late summer 2013 on the historic Bertha Benz route between
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“ Our vision: vehicles that supply data to update digital maps.” Martin Haueis Head of Localization and Data Management at Daimler’s Corporate Research and Pre-development unit
Localization
annheim and Pforzheim, developers from Mercedes-Benz M opted for a camera-based localization approach which used characteristic landmarks along the route as reference points. The pictures on the cameras used in the research vehicle — a stereo camera facing forward and a mono camera facing back — were continuously compared with the three -dimensional plan of the surrounding area on the map. To increase the reliability of camera-based localization methods, MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) are used in the vehicle. These are microscopic accelerometers which measure the route covered by the car and its direction of travel, starting from a geographic reference point. MEMS sensors are required today for applications such as the deployment of a life-saving airbag and the ESP® Electronic Stability Program that can detect critical driving situations. Places with character
Even the tiniest details in the vehicle’s environment can be identified by comparing camera images and map: road signs and markings, sidewalk edges, window ledges, edges of buildings, and much more. This combination of features gives every conceivable position along the route its own characteristic ‘face’. According to Martin Haueis, regionalization of the digital maps will present a particular challenge for the future. For example, a U.S. highway may look completely different to a German autobahn — and the localization has to work with one hundred percent reliability wherever the car is in the world. This type of feature-based localization cannot be carried out by camera alone. The use of radar or environment modeling with laser scanners are possible alternatives, and the pros and cons of each approach is being investigated by Daimler’s research teams. There is no doubt that the technological progress being made in the area of information and sensor technology will open up a whole new dimension in intelligent driver-assistance travel over the next ten years — all the way up to fully autonomous systems that can, if required, drive a car without any human intervention at all. Daimler research engineer Martin Haueis is already seeing things differently after working intensively on vehicle localization. In the development of the new digital maps for driverless vehicles, he says, “we are already beginning to see the world around us through new eyes.” Hyperlink
The Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 drives autonomously and showcases the logistics of tomorrow. ff
ext.mercedes-benz.com/ n en/future-truck-en
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Text Rüdiger Abele
Illustrations halbautomaten
Programmed overview Instant recording of traffic situations and appropriate response is a challenge for man and technology. But it is possible with the help of road situation analysis.
PASSENGER CAR IN THE REAR
PEDESTRIAN
- 18 km/h - Distance 3.4 m Braking distance suffices
- 3 km/h - Line of vision towards road Crossing most likely
TRAFFIC LIGHT - Stationary - Yellow phase of 3 seconds Red phase in 2.2 seconds
Passenger Car
PASSENGER CAR IN THE REAR - 56 km/h - Distance 2 m Following too close
- 48 km/h - Distance to traffic light: 4 m Traffic light can still be crossed at yellow
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VEHICLE Surroundings
Passenger Car - 51km/h - Approaches the center lane Lane change probable
Passenger Car - 30 km/h - Distance 3 m - Right blinker is on Leaves traffic circle
Tree - 0.0 km/h - Distance 4 m - Stationary No danger
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Cyclist - 0.5 km/h - Moving on bike lane Allow to pass by before turning
CYCLIST Passenger Car - 0.0 km/h -D oes not have right of way Stops
- 26 km/h - Moving on bike lane No Danger
Passenger Car - 17 km/h - Right blinker is on - Has right of way Turns right
PEDESTRIAN - 6 km/h - Line of vision towards road Crossing very likely
PASSENGER CAR IN THE REAR - 12 km/h - Continues to slow down - Blinker is not on Stop likely
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VEHICLE Surroundings
Passenger Car - 43 km/h - Distance 36 m Slowing down
Road situation analysis and
Passenger Car - 0.0 km/h - Hazard warning signal is on - Close to curbstone Lane change unlikely
Passenger Car - 0.0 km/h - Line of vision towards road Observes right of way
CHILD PLAYING - 5 km/h - Line of vision towards road -B all rolls onto road surface Dangerous situation coming up
assistance systems
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ow can a vehicle recognize and assess a traffic situation? Road situation analysis plays an important role in the improvement of driver assistance systems and paving the way to autonomous driving. Simply put, it aims to provide the vehicle with the artificial intelligence needed to assess traffic situations independently and issue perfect action instructions to the various assistance systems. To enable recording a given situation in great detail, various sensors and data systems in the vehicle continuously collect comprehensive information, which is made available for road situation analy sis. An example for this is the case of lane change in heavy traffic: The vehicle in the left lane predicts, based on its assistance systems, that a vehicle would like to change lanes from the right lane. This prediction is based on the current situation and the computed outcome that the situation could possibly change in the near future — including a probability calculation. An important factor, for example, is the driving line followed by a vehicle that could possibly move — referred to by experts as the trajectory, which is continuously computed in different variations to enable making a decision at all times. The line of the trajectories is compared with generic situation attributes, which describe a lane change, for example. The more exact the match, the greater the probability of a lane change. Based on the trajectories, the situation attributes and assessment of these, it is additionally possible to predict where the vehicle changing lanes could cross the lane markings and move over to the adjacent lane. And what its angle to the road markings will be. The steeper the angle, the greater the probability of a lane change. These are the simple basic principles. The situation becomes complex because the systems must additionally decide whether an indicated lane change actually takes place — or if the driver has unintentionally moved towards the other lane while adjusting the volume of the radio loudspeaker.
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Interview Rüdiger Abele Josef Ernst
That is why road situation analysis also uses other situation attributes besides the trajectory assessment, such as the transversal motion of the neighboring vehicle and the speed of the movement towards the empty space between the two vehicles in the left lane. In addition, very detailed probability values are computed. If the overall probability exceeds the threshold value for lane changing situations, the assistance systems can either warn the driver or, if needed, intervene directly in order to avoid a collision, for example, by actuating the brakes. The different Mercedes-Benz DISTRONIC generations show just how successful road situation analysis is and the continuous improvements it has undergone: With each new development stage, the distance warning and locking system reacts more sensitively and more accurately. This leads to a perceptible improvement not only in safety in a traffic queue, but also increases driving comfort, both of which are perceived as providing a relaxing experience for the driver.
Photography Delia Baum
Milliseconds decide Daimler experts Gabi Breuel and Thao Dang present road situation analysis for the vehicle.
Hyperlink
The autonomous Mercedes-Benz research vehicle S 500 INTELLIGENT DRIVE ff next.mercedes-benz.com/ en/s-500-en
Gabi Breuel and Thao Dang
have one goal in their vehicle research: to make the computer “understand” traffic situations. This is based on profound knowledge of the way the human brain functions. The most important behaviors are then translated in the software.
NEXT: How do you as scientists support the development of assistance systems and new vehicle functions? Breuel: Our area of work, road situation analysis, supplies the decision criteria for the functionality of the assistance systems using the human being as our model. A human being
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controls a great variety of very complex traffic situations by registering them and then makes a decision concerning the appropriate actions — sometimes within milliseconds. In doing so, individuals sometimes consider very fine criteria, derived from their store of experience. Dang: We develop software, with
which a machine aims to “understand” traffic situations. This is required for comfortable and safe driving. Thus, our task is simple to understand, but implementation is extremely complex. Because it requires imitating the human brain as optimally as possible? Breuel: No, we do not want to imitate the human brain, but to understand it the best we can, so to speak. In order, for example, to find out what and how many attributes are used by a person for a decision. To illustrate the complexity, let’s take a standard situation occurring in daily traffic: A vehicle approaches a line of cars and is supposed to smoothly file in from a merging lane. The person at the wheel registers the general situation, decides to move into an empty space, adjusts the speed in order to glide in, frequently using the blinker, and maneuvers the vehicle between two moving vehicles without a collision. In doing so, the appropriate distance is maintained and the person is so watchful as to be able to initiate new actions if the situation changes. All this is a highly demanding task. Our job is to understand such human patterns and translate them into an artificial intelligence. With the goal of autonomous driving? Dang: Autonomous driving is involved only indirectly. The goal is
to drive without accidents. Daimler has already been working in this direction for decades and has repeatedly set new standards in the area. Each assistance system incorporates the knowledge of the road situation analysis, and autonomous driving is merely the perfect interlinking of various systems. The road situ ation analysis is the connecting link between the sensors and the functions that finally have to be actuated. What is it that makes road situation analysis so complex? Breuel: It is so challenging because in reality the sensors only have a limited range and can therefore look into the future for a very short time depending on the driving speed. In a way, just like people look into the future by assessing their situation by considering what could happen. The software implementation is a very challenging task.
VEHICLE Surroundings
always alert and ready to make a decision. Surely, it won't be possible to store all the situations that occur in traffic in order to be able to access these as required? Breuel: Exactly, that would be too much of a good thing. That is why we take a different approach. Road situation analysis continuously provides the assistance systems with criteria in order to describe the probability, with which a situation can occur, in order to enable the systems to react faster or better. These probabilities enable a certain scope for functional decisions. This involves recording possibly universal criteria — which always apply the world over. Let’s take driving around a traffic circle, for example: We look for the respective criteria that are valid for all traffic circles in order to make driving in these safer and take them into account in the control software of various assistance systems.
Dang: What’s more, the technology
does not know what the driver and, most of all, other traffic participants around it are actually planning to do. Sometimes I wish there could be a telepathic sensor for finding this out! Breuel: The goal is to improve a ssistance systems to such an extent that they work in an even more fine-tuned way or more accurately and thus help to prevent accidents — because they can “anticipate” what will happen in a certain traffic situation even better than before. That is why road situation analysis describes in detail scenarios that are complete and internally consistent in order to extrapolate the appropriate course of actions from them. People process information more quickly than a technical system, but the system reacts faster than people and is
How does knowledge enter into the finished product? Dang: The path to the finished ve hicle can be very long sometimes. In many cases, we first develop the basics and then simulate their func tional capability in the computer in different phases. In the next step, we bring in our knowledge about modified control devices into the testing object in order to test a new technol ogy in daily operations. It sometimes takes many years before the series launch can take place.
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My car gets to know me The vehicle of the future will get to know its users and adapt to their individual needs. A glimpse into the world of the Predictive User Experience.
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User Experience
Text Steffan Heuer
Photography David Magnusson MICHAEL PEREDO
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This touchscreen sculpture is an interactive prototype created by Mercedes-Benz and allows you to see the possible functionality of a car that gets to know its users.
The fastest route to the office
Heat to 21 degrees Celsius
“Manic Monday”: The Bangles
Simulation model
On a cold Monday morning, the Predictive User Experience recom‑ mends settings that are fully tailored to the user. These include the most direct route to work, an interior temperature they will find pleasant, and a selection of music they like.
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t is an unexpectedly cold Monday morning as Dave gets into the car with his two children and drives out of the garage at 7.30 a.m. The vehicle already knows that on this day of the week they have to go to the elementary school first and then to the high school to drop off the kids, and it automatically calculates the best route. Afterwards, Dave will stop off at his usual café before continuing on to the office. These stops are also already displayed. When the family man turns onto the main road, the children’s favorite station is playing on the radio, the air conditioning has adjusted to the cold and damp morning and is two degrees warmer than it usually is at this time of year. The cell phone number for Dave’s wife is already preset on the display, as the couple like to call each other when they are on their way to work. This vision of the vehicle as a constantly attentive companion is still a prototype that the engineers, programmers, and designers at Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Inc. ( MBRDNA ) presented to audiences at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas at the beginning of 2014. The professionals call this innovation Predictive User Experience, as it turns a modern passenger car into a learning system. This is no longer a pipe dream. “Within the next ten years, consumers can look forward to a vehicle with contextual intelligence that will know their habits and adapt to their wishes and needs as if by magic,” explains Johann Jungwirth, President and CEO of MBRDNA in the heart of Silicon Valley. “This technology is bringing Mercedes-Benz into the era of ‘context awareness’, where the vehicle becomes increasingly aware of its surroundings and the circumstances
“Think tank in Silicon Valley” Read more about the new MBRDNA headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, starting on page 52.
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User Experience
Context variables, such as temperature and precipitation, are included in calculations and influence convenience settings in the vehicle, for example.
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“ Within the next ten years , consumers can look forward to a vehicle that will adapt to their wishes and needs as if by magic.� Johann Jungwirth, President and CEO, Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America Inc.
Video Interview with Johann Jungwirth on this page:
Install the Junaio app and scan the QR code on page 4.
“ Good design helps you focus on what’s really important rather than distracting you.” Paolo Malabuyo Vice President, Advanced User Experience Design, Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America Inc.
Context-sensitive: The vehicle gradually learns the user’s typical requirements at different times of day and on different weekdays.
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of the situation. We are working on equipping vehicles with the intelligence they need to get to know their occupants and surroundings,” says Jungwirth. “It is the next logical step in terms of meeting people’s expectations of our brand in relation to comfort, safety, and design. It’s all about making life easier and more pleasant so that drivers can keep their hands and heads free for important things.” A team of around 160 experts is currently working on research, design, and development at the MBRDNA headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, one of a string of cities that make up the Silicon Valley. These engineers and designers are working just a few minutes away from the headquarters of established IT brands such as Apple, Google, and Yahoo. They live and work amongst the founders and technological gurus who are always on the hunt for the latest trends — from networked devices and ubiquitous sensors to web services and algorithms that will help to ease the burden of everyday life. Accumulated knowledge begets confidence
“At first, the Predictive User Experience provides recommendations and leaves it up to the individual to decide. Over time, however, the level of trust increases and a kind of personal relationship develops,” says Jungwirth, describing the vision of this predictive digital companion that recognizes driver and passenger behavior and adapts accordingly, yet always remains discreetly in the background. “The vehicle of the future will be a kind of good friend that learns about our preferences and daily routines and gets better and better at anticipating things: where you drive, which route you wish to take, what music you want to listen to, and how climate and comfort features are adjusted for different vehicle users. Isn’t it crazy that you have to turn on your seat heating every single day in wintertime? The car should learn my behaviour, and after two days it should take this action by itself.” For Paolo Malabuyo, Vice President, Advanced User Experience Design at MBRDNA, the prototype of this intelligent companion offers a little taster of future technology, which will enable portable electronics, sensors, and, one day, autonomous vehicles to work together as one. “We want to create a completely individual world of experience within the car at the highest level. It is not simply a matter of putting forward suggestions that come close to meeting the needs or behavior of other people who are similar to me. It’s about me personally and my individual needs, expectations, and habits. The car knows me and what’s important to me
User Experience
at that precise moment,” says the expert, adding “It brings a little touch of magic to everyday driving.” For this purpose, the interdisciplinary team developed intelligent algorithms for their so called ‘prediction engines’ that continuously interpret many data points and action from several areas like social interaction, media, places, and comfort feature usage. On top of that, the software also takes account of environmental data — the day of the week, time, the weather, ambient temperature and traffic situation, as well as sensor data from the vehicle itself, such as seat or mirror settings, heating, and lighting. “The challenge lies in bringing all of these small quantities of data together and making them meaningful for people,” explains Johann Jungwirth. In the end, you have a system that is as trustworthy as a good friend, yet as professional and knowledgeable as a concierge. The driver should be as unaware as possible of these computing processes that are continually going on around him and responding to his behavior. That’s why the prototype is characterized by its minimalist design, which Malabuyo’s team worked on tirelessly. “A predictive system that has been well thought out should reduce the number of user interventions or decisions to a minimum. If I drive to work every day, then I don’t have to carry out the same four or five actions every time. I can simply rely on the vehicle because it knows my routine. Designers are being asked to make this experience so simple that the technology offers people exactly what they need at that particular moment. Good design helps you focus on what’s really important rather than distracting you,” says Paolo Malabuyo. Building on the existing sensor system
The experts at Mercedes-Benz have borrowed some important elements from the peripheral detection equipment used in driver assistance systems which are already fitted as standard — the windshield wipers automatically switching on when it starts to rain, for example, or headlamps coming on when you enter a tunnel. “Awareness of where and how I am moving is also part of the driving experience,” adds Jungwirth. He expects that other parts of the networked environment will also be incorporated over time. “Naturally, always subject to the proviso that the user expressly consents to this data being used and analyzed.” In order to ensure closer integration of consumer electronics devices, from smartphones to wearable computers, the team in Sunnyvale developed some initial
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The Predictive User Experience makes recommendations for the vehicle occupants based on key parameters such as the current location and planned route.
experimental prototypes that enable data to be exchanged between the portable devices and the vehicle. Using ‘door - to - door navigation’, for example, a driver can start his journey in the car and then have the remainder of the route he has to walk displayed on a wearable computer, like for example the networked Google Glass, as soon as he has parked up. In future, important data from a Mercedes-Benz vehicle will also be visible on a smartwatch, which will be integrated seamlessly into the telematics systems of the vehicle. In the not too distant future, the Predictive User Experience could also take account of other relevant data. Information that tells an intelligent vehicle even more about its occupants — biosensor measurements, for instance, that indicate whether someone is relaxed, tired, or stressed. “Technological progress is fundamentally changing the way we interact with our vehicles. Thanks to digital technology, we will see more happening in terms of the driving experience over the next ten years than we’ve seen over the last fifty years,” believes Paolo Malabuyo. “If the car really gets to know someone inside out, it will change their lives and lifestyle — for the better.” Hyperlink
Video interview with Johann Jungwirth and Paolo Malabuyo about the Predictive User Experience ff
ext.mercedes-benz.com/ n en/video-pux-en
The prototype has three screens to represent the system’s contextual conditions (bottom), the vehicle’s instrument holder, and system recommendations (top).
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User Experience
The system also takes into account sensor data from the vehicle itself — including whether there is anyone else on board besides the driver.
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adaptive systems
With its prototype for the Predictive User Experience, Mercedes-Benz is a pioneer in the field of contextual intelligence technology capable of learning: devices and machines adapt to the habits and routines of their users and continually refine their processes. The results include individual functionality and greater ease of operation. Specific products will be created for all areas of life, although many of these are still some way in the future. However, in some areas they are already a reality. There are, for example, navigation devices with learning algorithms. They record frequently traveled routes, analyze these anonymously in a data processing center and use the profiles to create routes that are then fed back to the vehicle and optimized, for example, for certain times of the day or for greater fuel economy. Or music streaming services: these note which songs the user plays again and again, determine the user’s musical tastes and generate recommendations for similar tracks which are then offered to that specific user. Then there’s the intelligent heating thermostat, which gets to know its users, adapts to their habits and the weather, and also optimizes energy costs — another adaptable device offering great everyday practicality. Experts are expecting another great leap of understanding when machine learning technology also starts to recognize and adapt to emotions. In fact, prototypes for this already exist.
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PARAmeters ff
Name: Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America Inc. (MBRDNA)
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Established: 1994, Palo Alto
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Employees: approx. 300 (USA total)
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Headquarters: Sunnyvale, California
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Expertise: Advanced User Experience Design, Group R esearch & Advanced Engineering, eDrive & Powertrain, Advanced Exterior Design, Tech Center
In the fall of 2013, the designers at MBRDNA moved just a few kilometers to a new, bigger R & D center in Sunnyvale after nearly twenty years in Palo Alto.
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research and development
Text Steffan Heuer
Photography David Magnusson
Think tank in Silicon Valley Located in Sunnyvale, the heart of the US tech industry, experts at Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America are working on the world of digital interaction for the cars of the future. 52 53
The work environment embodies the good qualities of Silicon Valley‘s tech industry: short lines of communication along with open and transparent spaces for close cooperation and the constant exchange of ideas.
Bringing ideas to life more quickly The Mercedes-Benz research and development center in Silicon Valley is one of the best locations in the world in which to experiment with the synthesis of hardware and software. The new MBRDNA headquarter in Sunnyvale has been home to several disciplines with a view to driving forward innovations with the help of R&D and new business models centered on mobility and connectivity. Between the monitors and shelves full of electronic components, colorful seating areas and huddle rooms provide the ideal space for spontaneous discussions. Those who prefer to think things over in the open air can retreat to one of several terraces instead. Large panes of glass between the offices and conference rooms and IdeaPaint walls are
covered with sketched outlines and key words that cast creative shadows. “The new building creates a new quality of collaboration. Thanks to our physical and conceptual proximity, we can implement and test ideas more quickly and bring innovation to market in our Mercedes-Benz and smart vehicles with even higher speed.”, says Johann Jungwirth, President and CEO of MBRDNA. Hyperlink
A gallery with more images from Sunnyvale ff
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research and development
“ We are not only experimenting with the things we are designing, but also with the way we work.â€? A Glimpse into the tech lab: driving assistance systems are adapted for the US market at the new headquarters. In future, an expanded research and advance developÂment department will be focusing on new functions relating to autonomous driving.
Paolo Malabuyo Vice President Advanced User Experience Design, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America Inc.
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One of the core areas under consideration in Sunnyvale is the design of the user experience. The aim is to make the way that the driver interacts with the vehicle and their surroundings as easy, pleasant, and appealing as possible.
Text Rüdiger Abele
Photography GüntHer Bayerl
A City bus of the Highest standard Strasbourg has decided in favor of expanding its public transportation network with Bus Rapid Transit. After just a few months, the “Ligne G” is a success.
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BRT buses go past the traffic jam in their own exclusive lanes. They are given priority at intersections with traffic lights.
key people behind the BRT project: Christian Berger (left) and Laurent HervÊ (right) from Strasbourg’s municipal authority and Arthur Notter from the operating company CTS.
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Bus Rapid Transit
“ Bus Rapid Transit allows existing transportation systems to be optimized. Daimler has over 30 years of experience.” Richard Mejía Daimler, BRT systems
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trasbourg on a cool summer morning. The TGV express train was on time and has dropped off the traveler in the Alsatian city after a pleasant journey. From the main train station, the trip continues on the “Ligne G”, which has a stop across the street from the station’s glass concourse. The sun casts the urban scenery in decorative light and perfectly illuminates a strikingly designed white Citaro articulated bus that rolls to the curbside bus stop exactly on schedule. It is decorated with a clearly arranged geometric pattern of blue, red, yellow, and white shapes that create a very friendly overall effect. Voilà, the Ligne G is ready for boarding — after the six light-rail lines A through F, it is the first of the city to operate without a network of tracks and yet operates on its own bus lanes: a public transit system based on the “Bus Rapid Transit” (BRT) concept. The French prefer to call it “BHNS”, which stands for “Bus à Haute Niveau de Service” — a bus line with an especially high standard of transportation. A Bus ride with benefits
Boarding the Ligne G. The platform empties rapidly thanks to four swinging doors, barrier-free access at ground level, and off-board ticketing that generally takes place in advance. The eco-friendly natural gas-powered Citaro moves off swiftly, merges onto its own lane and heads for the next intersection. The traffic lights are
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set to priority, the bus crosses the intersection, turns left, and rolls to a gentle stop at the next bus stop located immediately beyond the intersection. All doors open, passengers getting on quickly trade places with those getting off, and the bus resumes its journey after a minimum amount of time. It makes great progress in its own lane while the vehicles on the adjacent car lanes are waiting in the congested traffic. This is reason enough for passengers to smile: There’s hardly a faster way of navigating the crowded streets of a major city than with BRT. That is what BRT is all about: Buses get their own driving lanes if possible to increase the transport speed. But there’s more: Smooth operations require people to be able to get on and off quickly. That is why planners of BRT systems attach great importance to as many bus
“ Like our streetcars, the quality of transportation and atmosphere on the Ligne G meet the highest standards.” Christian Berger from Strasbourg’s municipal authorities
doors as possible, ground-level access, docking as closely to the curb as possible, and of course off-board ticketing — like the standard ticketing on modern light-rail or subway systems. In addition, the BRT buses glide through the city on a green wave of coordinated traffic lights. Collectively, all these factors are aimed at maximizing customer satisfaction and effectiveness. For all these reasons, and since the BRT system is significantly more cost-efficient than building or expanding a light-rail transit system, BRT is the transport mode of choice in many large cities. For example, for many years BRT systems have proven highly effective in the Brazilian metropolitan areas of Curitiba and São Paulo, which were the pioneers for this type of mobility. Currently BRT systems in these cities every day transport more than 2.3 million and 2.5 million passengers, respectively. This makes these cities the top leaders around the globe, while BRT in Rio de
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Bus Rapid Transit
In terms of Design, the BRT buses and stops in Strasbourg and the generously-sized monitors combine clarity with a substantial level of information. Café Aubette on Strasbourg’s Place Kléber inspired the design of the BRT buses.
Janeiro had to pass a major acid test this year: The transit authority used the system as a key means of transport during the FIFA Soccer World Cup to take fans quickly to the stadiums and back. The BRT system has been in operation in Rio since 2012. The special load test went smoothly. Concept with a proven track record, worldwide
BRT, which was realized for the first time in the 1970s, goes by a variety of names: In addition to “Bus Rapid Transit”, it is also referred to as “busway” or “metrobus”. After a start in smaller cities, Curitiba became the first metropolis to fully rely on BRT. The system is still the backbone of public transportation there today and runs on about 80 kilometers of dedicated lanes. Daimler is considered a BRT pioneer. The company set up appropriate systems early on, among other places in Adelaide (Australia), which are still in operation today. Currently, there are BRT systems with Daimler buses in Bogotá (Colombia), Istanbul (Turkey), Mexico City (Mexico) and Santiago de Chile (Chile), for example. “Over the decades we have collected extensive expertise, which we fully bring to bear when advising communities that consider optimizing existing public transit with the help of BRT,” said Richard Mejía, responsible for worldwide BRT transportation planning at Daimler Buses. Major or minor cities, large or small passenger volumes — he and his colleagues Oliver Schaal and Matthias Hoffmann examine each factor individually and then develop a concept tailored to the city’s needs. “We scale it precisely to the local conditions — according to the requests of the operator,” says Schaal, who supervises BRT projects worldwide for Daimler.
Puristic aesthetic appeal
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The buses and bus stops of the BRT system in Strasbourg have a distinctive and unmistakable design. The design uses highly geometric, and colored shapes and is m odeled after a tourist attraction in the city center: The artists Theo van Doesburg, Hans Arp, and Sophie Taeuber-Arp designed the interior decor of the café and dance hall that opened in the late 1920s in the Aubette building on Place Kléber in the style of the De Stijl artists’ group to which they belonged. The group was founded in 1917 by Dutch architects, designers, and artists — among them painter Piet Mondrian. The group made geometric abstract representations the center of its creative work — as well as “concrete art” which van Doesburg first described as a term in 1924. The resulting purism and the aesthetics show similarities with the German Bauhaus. The restored café is listed as a historical monument today and is open to visitors.
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www.musees.strasbourg.eu
Barrier-free entry via ramp or the right access height means that BRT is accessible to all.
“BRT is a flexible option that can be set up for different circumstances without any problems.” Like in Strasbourg, for example. The task at hand was not the handling of large passenger numbers — 9,000 people per day for the Ligne G is considered a moderate number, and at five kilometers in length and a travel time of 15 minutes, the BRT route is also rather short in international comparison. The Strasbourg Transit Authority consciously decided in favor of an option based on buses to take advantage of their flexibility and to create a rapid link from the main train station to the Cronenbourg district and to Schiltigheim quickly and at a relatively low cost. “And we very deliberately decided to do so with a high standard that is at least equal to the quality of the transportation and atmosphere in our street cars,” explained Christian Berger, an employee in the Office for Mobility and Transport of the Strasbourg City Hall. “The line is very different than conventional bus lines and we therefore consider it our seventh light-rail line, which is reflected in the ‘Ligne G’ name.” Important side effects: The service and business center along the last bus stops on the Avenue de l’Europe was not only perfectly linked to the city center and the public transit system. BRT also fulfills an important mission in terms of urban sociology because the Ligne G runs through the Cronenbourg neighborhood, which had a bad reputation in the past. “We wanted to link the neighborhood deliberately and clearly to the city center and the rest of the city with Fast ticketing off-board is a key feature of the Bus Rapid Transit system. This speeds up boarding as do the large number of bus doors and accurate docking at the stop.
“BRT is a flexible option. We scale every system precisely to the local conditions — according to the requests of the operator. ” Oliver Schaal Daimler, BRT systems
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Bus Rapid Transit
“ We are using the fresh pull of the line to initiate urban development along the BRT route. Some projects even reflect the color scheme. ” Laurent Hervé from Strasbourg’s municipal authorities
Thanks to the Network, the Ligne G is the perfect connecting element in Strasbourg — even for cyclists on the final section.
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the new line,” explains Christian Berger. “The Ligne G is a positive signal in this respect.” Classical role models
This is also reflected in the external decoration of the buses. The geometric color pattern on the outer skin was modeled after a tourist attraction on Place Kléber in the city center: Representatives of the Dutch artists’ group “De Stijl” created a café and dance hall in the classicist Aubette building in the late 1920s, which is also finished with clear colors and shapes. As a result, the design of today’s BRT buses sends an aesthetic greeting from the inner city. The passenger compartment also picks up some of the impulses, for example, with the design of the walls and ceiling and the colors and patterns of the seats. The large passenger information displays give the bus a high-tech character accompanied by high user value with clear information about the route and stops. Chrome-look handrails exude high-value appeal. All in all: an atmosphere, which people enjoy. “At the same time we are taking advantage of the fresh pull of the line to initiate urban renewal along the route,” says Laurent Hervé, also an employee in the Office for Mobility and Transport of the Strasbourg City Hall. New buildings began to rise on empty lots, which even partially reflect the color scheme of the buses. Some older buildings were torn down and are creating space for new construction. The bus stops of the Ligne G also signal a modern and fresh character that blends in seamlessly with Strasbourg’s
other city features. The lighting of the route adds further highlights: The lamps that were chosen are simple and timeless, meet the expectations of good design, and thus underscore the trend-setting character of the BRT system. All in all, the Ligne G signals a pleasant upbeat mood. Strasbourg is an example of how the BRT tailored to European conditions unfolds its benefits and fulfills a wide variety of tasks. Different standards apply in the huge cities of Latin America or Asia, for example, where the focus most often is on handling large passenger volumes. “We take the exact conditions and requests into account,” says Matthias Hoffmann, city and traffic planner at Daimler, “always resulting in a BRT system that is a precise fit — be it for a large city or for a city of millions.” One thing that all cities have in common is that BRT links people with people, the buses are literally a connecting element. Depending on the city, it might be also be important that residents of distant neighborhoods gain access to vibrant neighborhoods — and with it often to education and knowledge, which benefits the economic prosperity of the individual and thus that of the metropolitan area. This means that BRT is far more than a simple means of transport. Regardless of where BRT is implemented, it always scores points by offering cost benefits over rail systems such as subways or street cars and at the same time offers significantly faster transport speeds and higher capacities compared with classic bus lines that share lanes with other vehicles. But Daimler expert Oliver Schaal cautions: Only a consistently implemented BRT system will provide all
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the benefits — every system detail is important. “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and BRT needs every link to produce the full benefit.” Consequently, cutting corners on details when building a BRT network is ill-advised if the system is to unfold its full potential.
speed of 20 km / h — a top figure for a street-bound means of transport, even in direct comparison with street cars: In Strasbourg, street cars reach an average above-ground speed of 19 km / h and 22 km / h below ground. Classic bus lines operate at an average speed of 16 km / h.
Implemented in a very short time
The autonomous future
Strasbourg took all important elements into account during the planning and has also implemented them. That has paid off: BRT — or rather BHNS — was established in just three years, including planning and construction. The Ligne G has been in operation since late November 2013, and the experiences are extremely positive. The daily volume of 9,000 passengers was already reached after four months, and counting the classic bus lines there are now 3,000 more passengers each day headed towards the Schiltigheim district, according to Laurent Hervé, who attributed the increase to the high transportation quality of the Ligne G. The buses of the BRT system run at an average
Bus Rapid Transit has become indispensable as a key means of public transit in many of the world’s major cities. But its evolution never stops. Autonomously driving buses will probably also travel in BRT lanes one day. Currently, there are a few cities working with visual guidance systems for approaching bus stops. All in all, BRT offers a certain automation potential because the proportion of dedicated lanes is frequently very high. Eco-friendly drive systems are an integral part of the BRT systems designed by Daimler, which are available for the extensive line-up of vehicles for public transit. All-electric drives using fuel cells have been in testing for years. Hyperlink
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the Ligne G starts and ends in central Strasbourg at the main train station — perfect for changing to a tram or intercity train.
“ Large cities or cities of many millions — Bus Rapid Transit can help virtually any community solve traffic problems.” Matthias Hoffmann Daimler, BRT systems
I M p r i n t a ND c o n t a c t
PUBLISHER Daimler AG, Mercedesstraße 137, 70327 Stuttgart, Germany For the publisher: Thomas Fröhlich Mirjam Bendak Publications manager: Dr. Josef Ernst Editorial board, Daimler AG: Sandra Wagner Editing and design design hoch drei GmbH & Co. KG, Glockenstraße 36, 70376 Stuttgart, Germany Creative direction: Sonja Schäffer, Wolfram Schäffer Project management: Susanne Wacker Editor-in-chief: Rüdiger Abele Editors: Kai-Holger Eisele, Anja Niksch Author: Steffan Heuer Proofreader: Alexandra Rieb Art director: Pia Bardesono Layout: Marc Arthofer, Sabina Keric Photography/Illustrations: Delia Baum, Günther Bayerl, halbautomaten, Stefan Hohloch, Rafael Krötz, David Magnusson, Iassen Markov, Audra Melton Photography Inc., Michael Peredo Oliver Schwarz, Enis Terzioglu SALES Daimler AG: Uwe Haspel Sales: Zenit Pressevertrieb GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany PRODUCTION Reprographics: Dr. Cantz’sche Druckerei Medien GmbH Ostfildern/Kemnat, Germany Printing: Stark Druck GmbH & Co. KG, Pforzheim, Germany Contact and reader service Zenit Pressevertrieb GmbH, Postfach 81 05 80, 70522 Stuttgart, Germany Tel.: +49 711 7252-268 Fax: +49 711 7252-399 Online: www.zenit-presse.de Daimler AG, Communications, HPC E402, 70546 Stuttgart, Germany Fax: +49 711 17-790-95251 E-mail: next@mercedes-benz.com Online: www.mercedes-benz.com/next Picture credits P. 25 Boston Globe/Getty Images, P. 26 Fusar Technologies, P. 27 Peter Kirillov/Shutterstock; Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology FIT Copyright Reproduction or use in whole or in part only with the express written consent of Daimler AG. Daimler AG is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or photos. Contributions with bylines do not necessarily represent the opinion of the publisher or the editorial team. Information about equipment features and accessories is subject to change. Definitive information and prices are contained in the valid official sales documentation published by Daimler AG. All other information in this issue is also provided to the best of our knowledge and belief, but without any liability. Mercedes-Benz next appears twice a year in German and English editions. Number 1, Year 1, 2014 ISSN: 2199-5850 © Daimler AG 2014 mercedes-benz.com/next A Daimler publication
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A side glance Autonomous Driving
“125 years ago, we built the first horseless carriage. And soon, there will be a carriage without a driver.” Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler AG
“I don’t want to wait for a taxi! I want to be autonomous! I want free myself from these egg-shaped, rolling boxes with an integrated forced conversation mode. I am ready for autonomous driving to be invented. The sooner the better.” Margret Hucko, Spiegel Online
“Autonomous vehicles are not the stuff of science fiction. The technology has existed for years, and recent research has elevated the field from experiment to near-commercial readiness.” Ryan C.C. Chin, MIT Media Lab
“ Getting out at the destination — and the car parks itself: nothing makes the prospect of an autopilot more attractive.” Benjamin Bessinger, Zeit Online
“Some day, young people will take it for granted that the time in a car can be spentdoing things other than driving.”
“Autonomous cars will simply be that much better.”
“We’re getting to the point where the car is an extension of you and really looks out for you. The car is ideally suited for this, more so than your phone or a tablet or another computing device.”
Tom Keane, The Boston Globe
Thilo Koslowski, automotive industry expert at Gartner Inc.
Christian Senger, head of automotive electronics research at Continental
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A Daimler publication Š Stuttgart 2014