The future is on display at Mercedes-Benz. After saying they wanted to deemphasize screens last year, the luxury automaker is exploring innovative display technology that could turn vehicle glass into display centers.
What Mercedes Is Developing:
- Mini-LED and micro-LED technology that can display information on areas around a vehicle besides the infotainment center.
- Mini LEDs could be featured on surfaces like the rear window to display warning symbols, brake lights, or traffic information.
- When no content is on display, the mini-LED elements will be “almost invisible” in the glass.
- Micro-LED technology for animations on smaller surfaces
Rising to the surface: Mercedes is also interested in utilizing unused surfaces as ways to display information. The windshield is one such area that Mercedes is interested in using for a holographic display. If it sounds futuristic, it is.
A projector in the instrument panel would project content onto the windshield. A transparent film laminated into the glass uses holographic optical elements to reflect the light emitted from the projector. This technology makes the image visible even in daylight, Mercedes said in a press release. It is also only visible from certain angles, so the driver and passenger can’t see what the other sees. The windshield could be used to display calls, driving information, or navigation. Again, content would only appear when needed.
More screen time means more distractions: Touchscreens are already a common car safety concern. The European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) recently updated its assessment protocols to require buttons for certain functions to receive a top rating.
With so much emphasis on new screen spaces, safety is a valid concern, especially when it competes for attention from the road. But for now, these ideas are just ideas. Mercedes makes it clear that these technologies are under development and merely demonstrate “potential” future approaches to vehicle communication and display.
