Next to working on my master thesis, I worked with the team on hardware and software prototyping aimed at design topics such as: Interactive materials, automated driving assistance graphics, and Kinect based tracking explorations.
More than just a idea
The simulation study identified the positive and negative effects of engaging Scribble. The simulation was equipped with conventional adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, and Scribble. The simulated drive was exclusive to highway driving and had various events that trigger user interaction. In the study the driver does not drive the vehicle, but instead is responsible for higher level decision making and expressing his intentions through stroke gestures visualized on a screen.
About the Team
The Advanced Digital Design team consists of talented individuals who design future transport concepts for Mercedes-Benz / Daimler AG. The team is part of Daimler's Research & Development and focuses on user experience design, show car design, experimenting with advanced tools, and developing applications for cutting-edge technology. The team is young and has a start-up feel while profiting from the benefits of being in a large company like Daimler. The team has worked on Show cars such as the Mercedes-Benz Vision Van, Concept EQ, and Smart vision EQ fortwo. They collaborate with peer design teams in Europe, USA, and China.
It has been a fruitful experience and honor to work with this team. The level of creativity and talent was inspiring and helped me to position myself better as a designer. Collaborating with Mercedes-Benz has made me push myself to retrieve results that normally would be out of reach. Hence I'm grateful for my time in Stuttgart.
After I left Mercedes-Benz the team worked on the VISION AVTR that was released in 2020 on CES. Although I did not work on this car it carries many characteristics of my Scribble and Stewart concepts - it’s wonderful to see how ideas can become larger than you.