Mercedes-Benz is claiming to offer an 'in-car cinema' experience with its new MBUX Hyperscreen infotainment system. The new one-piece, multi-screen setup is set to debut in the upcoming EQS long-range electric luxury saloon.
55 inches across
It's a big 'un too. A full 141cm (that's 55 inches, bigger than most home televisions) and stretches from one side of the cabin to t'other. Even the air vents have been inset into it - that's how massive the Hyperscreen is. Mercedes says that its sheer size, the high-quality, and detail-loving design provides a "wow" effect and they're really not kidding.
So, what have we got here? We've basically got three screens - an instrument panel in front of the driver; a central infotainment screen; and a separate screen that sits in front of the front-seat passenger (who can then presumably watch Netflix while you drive).
"With our MBUX Hyperscreen, a design vision becomes reality," says Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer Daimler Group. "We merge technology with design in a fascinating way that offers the customer unprecedented ease of use. We love simplicity, we have reached a new level of MBUX."
"The MBUX Hyperscreen is both the brain and nervous system of the car", says Sajjad Khan, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG and CTO. "The MBUX Hyperscreen continually gets to know the customer better and delivers a tailored, personalised infotainment and operating offering before the occupant even has to click or scroll anywhere."
The screen itself benefits from what Mercedes is calling a 'Silver Shadow' coating, which uses ultra-thin layers on top of the electronics for a very high-quality effect. The ambient lighting that runs around the edges apparently makes the Hyperscreen seem to float in front of the dashboard when it's all working.
Digital decoration
Oh, and if there's no-one in that front passenger seat, don't think that you can put that Netflix binge on and watch as you (distractedly) drive. Mercedes says that when no-one is in the seat, "the screen becomes a digital decorative part. In this case, animated stars, i.e. the Mercedes-Benz Pattern, are displayed."
The screens use OLED displays, which means that only the sections that need to light up do so, and the 'switched-off' LEDs in the rest of the screen then provide a rich, contrasting black background. All the graphics are styled in a new blue/orange colour scheme throughout and Merc says that the classic cockpit display with two circular instruments has been reinterpreted with a digital laser sword in a glass lens. We really, REALLY want one of our own digital laser swords *makes Star Wars noises*.
Now, with the EU and UK all currently making noises about how distracting, and potentially dangerous, giant touchscreens are, Mercedes is looking ahead of possible legislation and has created an artificially intelligent operating system that seeks to minimise the number of inputs needed from a driver to get to the function that they want.
Artificial intelligence
For instance, if you always call a certain friend on the way home on Tuesday evenings, you will be asked to make a corresponding call on that day of the week and at this time of day. A business card with its contact information appears, and - if stored - its image appears. All MBUX suggestions are linked to the user's profile. If someone else drives the EQS on a Tuesday night, this recommendation is not made - or there is another, depending on the preferences of the other user.
Or, let's say the driver regularly uses the massage function according to the hot stone principle in winter, the system learns and automatically suggests the comfort function in wintry temperatures.
There are other useful functions that the system can learn, such as the fact that the chassis of the EQS car that the Hyperscreen is designed for can be lifted to provide more ground clearance. A useful function for steep garage entrances or sleep policemen. MBUX remembers the GPS position at which the user made use of the "Vehicle Lift-Up" function. If the vehicle approaches the GPS position again, MBUX independently raises the suspension.
Mercedes calls this the 'Zero Layer' menu theory, whereby the electronics know what function to offer up and when to do so, so the driver has to scroll through 'zero' options to get to it. Presumably, it will also be able to interpret the enraged swearing when it offers you the wrong item at the wrong time...
The tech specs for the system include eight CPU cores, 24-gigabyte RAM and 46.4GB per second RAM memory bandwidth, along with a multifunction camera and light sensor to automatically adjust the screen brightness. As many as seven driver profiles can be stored.
Now we just need to see the rest of the EQS...