Unity teams with Mercedes-Benz for infotainment OS in future cars

Unity has announced it is partnering up with Mercedes-Benz to power their future vehicles with a next-gen infotainment system powered by the MB.OS operating system.

Mercedes will be using the Unity Industrial Collection to make the UI for the in-car cockpits of Mercedes-Benz vehicles that will roll out in 2024, with Unity's technology powering things like the 3D navigation software, and virtual avatars, in-car augmented reality experiences, and more. We should expect to see Unity-powered local weather and traffic data, streaming services, and more.

Gordon Wagener, Mercedes' chief design officer explained to GamesBeat: "At Mercedes, we believe that infotainment systems should be able to understand and learn the driver's needs and habits in order to become a personal assistant. Maximum comfort and minimal distraction is the goal. Interaction between humans and vehicles is increasingly based on voice assistants, touchscreens, and smart surfaces".

"We don't see that trend changing ... . Giving our customers the ability to access information how they need it and when they need it is a key aspect of a luxury in-car experience. Pairing Unity on MB.OS does exactly that for the driver and passengers, ensuring that they have everything they need when they need it, in real-time and in 3D".

Dave Rhodes, SVP at Unity explained to GamesBeat: "You are going to be in a vehicle where you're not focused on driving, or avoiding hitting a tree or another car. You're gonna be focused on a combination of digital experiences in the cabin, as well as a connection to the physical world in ways that, for example, will make car trips fun and educational".

"What this interactive HMI system that Mercedes is designing is partially focused on doing is provide the right information to the operator of the vehicle at the right time. Whether you've got some weather coming up, and how that might impact visibility, or giving you options around how to set up controls in a way ... . That's the kind of thing that they're instrumenting into their OS. And they're using Unity to do that".