Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a new Hyperscreen, based on the
MBUX (Mercedes-Benz User Experience) multimedia system, at the virtual Consumer
Electronics Show (CES) 2021. The expansive arrangement of displays will debut
in its flagship EQS electric vehicle that will be unveiled towards the end of
2021.
The Hyperscreen is the largest screen array yet in a series
production Mercedes and consists of three large displays: the instrument cluster
for the driver, main infotainment screen in the centre, and passenger display for
those in the front passenger seat. The displays are accommodated under one
single curved piece of Gorilla Glass that spans 141 cm from one side of the
vehicle to the other.
The glass consists of 12 actuators, which provide haptic
feedback to users as they interact with the screens. It also has two coatings
applied to reduce reflections and make cleaning easier, since it will attract a
lot of fingerprints. The glass is infused with aluminium silicate to increase
scratch resistance and has breaking points along the side outlet openings,
which give in a pre-determined way in a crash to avoid injury from the
Hyperscreen.
Underneath the glass, the infotainment and passenger screens
are OLED displays for clearer, more vibrant displays in bright sunlight
conditions. An improvement of the company’s MBUX system implements a new design
direction, which it calls “Zero layer”. It aims to provide a home screen that
features dynamic, aggregated content from the entire MBUX system and related
services, which are displayed under a prominent map. The map also has “Mercedes
travel knowledge”, which uses the car’s position on the map to give users information
about the area they are in. When they ask the voice assistant about the area,
the car acts as a travel guide.
The system is augmented by artificial intelligence (AI),
which is how it aims to learn the patterns of the user, then displays the
appropriate options at the right time to the user. The MBUX system processes
many datasets such as the position of the vehicle on the map, the temperature,
time, and other factors to aid in providing the correct content.
MBUX allows for 7 profiles to be stored, which allows
different drivers and passengers to save their profile set-up of the MBUX
Hyperscreen without modifying another user’s settings and preferences. Mercedes
calls the user-interface “Zero layer” because it claims that, to get to the
most important applications, the user will have to scroll through zero menu
levels.
The instrument cluster builds on the introductions made in
the new 2021 S-Class, which includes 3D technology to create a layered
experience, providing the driver with essential information in the foreground,
and less useful information in the background.
The technical specifications of the Hyperscreen include:
- 8 CPU cores.
- 24-gigabytes of RAM.
- 46.4 GB per second RAM bandwidth.
- 1 multifunction camera and 1 light sensor to
adjust screen brightness.
- Passenger display has screen technology which
prevents the driver from seeing content consumed, minimising distractions.
