Up close: The Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive S-Class Simulator

Interactive displays have evolved over the years to incorporate mounted digital displays and video walls to engage audiences. At the 2014 Toronto International Auto Show, one of the more intriguing booths is the Mercedes-Benz Intelligent Drive S-Class Simulator. The company is using this kind of technology to showcase the safety features in its latest vehicles (and, of course, help sell cars).

“You can experience all the safety functions in a safe simulator experience and get first-hand experience,” Andreas Gottschol, an engineer with Mercedes-Benz in its Active Safety department explained as he described the driving simulator. “It shows off all the safety functions in the S-class (as well as the E- and C-class) vehicles.”

There are six screens in front of the car and 11 graphic simulation channels. Behind the scenes is a network of 12 powerful computers. And there is a compiler in the trunk telling what the simulation offers is real.

“Technology like this took one year of development time,” says Gottschol. “This is the 4th generation of simulators now.”

The Mercedes Driver Simulation was first introduced at a world press event in Toronto, says Haab. It was also shown in the Frankfurt Auto Show in September 2013 and there are plans to show it off in Stuttgart and Washington.

“From an interactive experience, you keep it a lot more in your mind than just reading about it. Or compared to a regular test drive,” adds Jochen Haab, another Mercedes engineer.

The main audience so far has been the media and potential customers at the big auto shows. But the intention is to eventually take large driver simulation displays like this on the road to large events in dealerships, providing customers with a more immersive experience without the potential dangers of doing so on a test drive scenario.