Notebookcheck Logo

In-car mind control could be coming to Mercedes cars in the not too distant future

The Mercedes-Benz VISION AVTR concept is a working test bed for its new brain-controlled interface (BCI) tech. (Image: Mercedes-Benz)
The Mercedes-Benz VISION AVTR concept is a working test bed for its new brain-controlled interface (BCI) tech. (Image: Mercedes-Benz)
Mercedes-Benz has beaten Elon Musk to demonstrate a live and working mind controlled car interface. The test bed is open to the public and features in its latest concept vehicle, the VISION AVTR.

You can’t think a car into moving in a certain direction, at least not without selecting a forward or reverse gear -- as some might do inadvertently on the odd occasion. However, a future where you will be able to think a car into going where you want might not be as far away as we might have thought if Mercedes-Benz’s latest concept test bed is any indication. The VISION AVTR concept car is the first we’ve seen that offers a glimpse into the near future with a prototype system that allows users to control its interface by thought control.

Currently on display at the IAA MOBILITY 2021 event in Munich Germany, the VISION AVTR concept vehicle features a working brain-computer interface (BCI) giving users a preview of mind control as a way of interacting with a car. After a short calibration process wearing a BCI headset that measures brain waves, users are able to trigger a defined function simply with a thought. It is the kind of technology one might have expected to see from Elon Musk first, given that he founded both Tesla and Neuralink.

Britta Seeger, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz had this to say about the unveiling of the new technology:

Mercedes-Benz is setting another milestone in the merging of man and machine with the research and development of brain-computer interface applications in cars. BCI technology has the potential to further enhance driving comfort in the future, for example. BCI technology works completely independently of speech and touch. This opens up revolutionary possibilities for intuitive interaction with the vehicle.

Buy the Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 team T-shirt from Amazon for US$70.

The Mercedes-Benz BCI headset. (Image: Mercedes-Benz)
The Mercedes-Benz BCI headset. (Image: Mercedes-Benz)

Source(s)

Read all 4 comments / answer
static version load dynamic
Loading Comments
Comment on this article
Please share our article, every link counts!
> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2021 09 > In-car mind control could be coming to Mercedes cars in the not too distant future
Sanjiv Sathiah, 2021-09- 6 (Update: 2021-09- 6)