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There are large infotainment screens. And then there’s Mercedes-Benz’s “Hyperscreen”.
The German automaker has just unveiled a gigantic 56-inch pillar-to-pillar touchscreen that will debut in the upcoming EQS luxury electric sedan. The Hyperscreen is the centerpiece of the automaker’s second-generation MBUX infotainment system that bypasses physical buttons in favor of a fully digital (and voice-controlled) in-car user experience.
To be sure, the Hyperscreen is not a screen, but multiple screens integrated into a single piece of curved glass that covers the entire dashboard. Based on the first images, there appear to be at least three screens built into the screen: a dashboard behind the steering column, a center infotainment screen, and an additional screen facing the front passenger.
The Hyperscreen will first appear in the EQS, a luxury electric sedan that Mercedes says will go into production at the end of 2021. It will be powered by MBUX, which is short for “Mercedes-Benz User Experience. “. First launched in 2018, MBUX is one of the most successful voice-activated infotainment systems created by car manufacturers on the market.
Mercedes says the Hyperscreen will include something called “zero layers,” in which the user will no longer have to scroll through a variety of submenus or give voice commands “because the most important applications are still available. situational and contextual way at the top of the driver’s field of vision. The automaker provided a few examples, including:
If you still call a specific person on the way home on Tuesday evening, you will be asked to make a corresponding call that day of the week and at that specific time of day. A business card appears with their contact details and, if stored, their photo appears. All MBUX suggestions are linked to the user’s profile. If someone else is driving the EQS on a Tuesday night, that recommendation won’t be made – or another is made, depending on the other user’s preference.
The Hyperscreen will include a total of 12 actuators below the touchpad for haptic feedback. Two coatings on the cover plate are said to reduce glare and make cleaning easier. The curved glass itself is made of particularly scratch-resistant aluminum silicate. And analog air vents are built into the surface at each end, providing an interesting mix of digital and physical.
The hyperscreen won’t appear in a production car until the late 2021 release of the EQS, but the new MBUX version will see its debut in the new S-Class, which was first unveiled at the end of the year. last year. The updated infotainment system will allow drivers to save various preferences such as seat settings, interior light color, preferred radio station, etc. These personal profiles can be activated or deactivated using the new security functions, or even loaded into other Mercedes-Benz vehicles. A fingerprint sensor on the main touchscreen and voice recognition will be provided as standard, along with a PIN setting. Buyers can opt for a version of the car with cameras that also allow facial recognition.
Vehicle touchscreens have gotten bigger over the years, with some manufacturers assuming bigger is better. Among production vehicles, the 14.2-inch screen of the 2021 Cadillac Escalade is particularly noteworthy, as is the 12-inch screen of the 2019 Ram 1500. And the upcoming Cadillac Lyriq electric SUV promises a stunning 33-inch display. The Tesla Model 3’s 15-inch display, which hovers above the dashboard rather than hugging the curves of the interior, has set the bar high for electric cars – one that Mercedes seems eager to pass .
Of course, it remains to be seen how distracting all of these screens will be for the driver. Without a robust driver monitoring system to ensure drivers stay focused on the road, these ultra-wide screens can pose a huge liability and safety risk. A recent study by AAA found that many digital infotainment systems appearing in newer cars can be distracting enough to increase the risk of accidents, especially for older drivers.
It is hoped that its zero layer function will reduce driver distraction – although that will have to be proven. “The goal was a concept without driver distraction or creation of complicated operation,” Sajjad Khan, member of the board of directors of Mercedes-Benz AG and technical director of the new generation MBUX, said in a press release. “We didn’t want to build the biggest screen ever in a car. Instead, we have developed special screens with the perfect ratio of size and functionality for maximum usability. “
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