Mercedes-Benz's Self-Driving Car Is A Living Room on Wheels
Brian Barrett | January 5, 2015
The German car company Mercedes-Benz wants to change how people think about cars. They unveiled the futuristic self-driving F 015 concept car at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
"Anyone who focuses solely on the technology has not yet grasped how self-driving cars will change our society," said Mercedes Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche, when introducing the vehicle. "The car is growing beyond its role as a mere means of transport and will ultimately become a mobile living space."
Until now, automakers such as Mercedes and Volkswagen, and Audi have largely focused on developing automated systems, including braking and steering, that make cars safer and easier to operate.
The F 015 luxury sedan concept, with its spacious interior and lounge-like seating for four, explores new possibilities for self-driving cars that can double as virtual living rooms on wheels. In keeping with Mercedes tradition and the concept's "luxury in motion" theme, the ultra-modern passenger space is trimmed in polished wood, nappa leather, sparkling aluminum and glass, with soft blue LED lighting.
The F 015 can be operated autonomously or manually. When the vehicle is in fully driverless mode, the four motorized lounge chairs can be rotated to allow face-to-face conversations. When required for manual operation, the driver's chair swivels back to face forward.
To facilitate connectivity with the outside world, the F 015 is equipped with six digital display screens throughout the cabin. The screens can be activated via gestures, eye-tracking or touch.
Mercedes wrapped all that fancy hardware and software in a lightweight, impact-resistant structure of carbon-fiber, aluminum and high-strength steel. The concept was also designed to accommodate an electric motor and hydrogen fuel cell.
The F 015 represents a huge leap forward conceptually and stylistically from previous self-driving cars, which have focussed mainly on convincing consumers they are safe.
Its aim is to carry you to your destination while providing the level of comfort of any living room or living room couch.
In 2013 the F 015 drove itself on a 100-kilometer journey trough Germany. This journey traced the path driven 125 years earlier by Bertha Benz, wife of company co-founder Karl Benz, in one of the world's first gasoline-powered automobiles.
Mercedes currently equips several of its production vehicles with a variety of semi-automated systems, including parking assist, traffic jam assist and steering assist, but the F 015 is entirely autonomous.
The F 015 is covered in a great many sensors and cameras to allow it to "see" what's around it, avoid any collisions, and move easily along the road. When driving, the F 015 can communicate with GPS and other cars on the road, allowing it to move at much higher speeds, much more safely, than a human driven car could ever do.
While the F 015, and many other self driving cars, have been around for a few years, many people are still hesitant to let the machine take over while they are in the car driving.
The company's forward vision sees self-driving cars as way to redesigning traffic in dense urban spaces with unique roads used only by autonomous vehicles.
