As you drive into the heart of Bangalore’s tech hub Whitefield, a glistening, revolving object will likely catch your attention – it’s the encircled three-pronged logo of Mercedes-Benz, right outside the Mercedes-Benz Research & Development India (MBRDI). Inaugurated in 1996 as a captive unit to support Daimler’s IT, research and product development activities, MBRDI is a formidable presence cementing the might of Indian engineering, driving some of the most cutting-edge projects and research for Daimler outside its global HQ in Stuttgart, Germany. The latest triumph is the MBUX or Mercedes Benz User Experience, which learns and personalizes the driving experience using AI. First rolled out for the Mercedes A Class in 2018, MBUX is now available for models CLA, GLE, GLS, EQC and GLB. Eventually, every Merc will have this technology.

The entire tech platform has been built out of the Bangalore R&D centre, which houses more than 5,000 engineers, led by Manu Saale, MD & CEO, MBRDI. Here’s an exclusive interview with the man himself on the future of mobility in the age of AI, endless possibilities in AV development, how the semiconductor chip shortage is marking a shift in the auto sector and why 5G makes autonomous vehicle development infinitely exciting and endless.

How would you say the world of mobility has changed?

The world of mobility is being redefined by technology. Mobility is a 130-year-old project that began with the basic transport of people from point A to point B and has culminated to what we see today around us in cars. These are, at best, known as incremental innovations and the auto sector is constantly improving its offerings. The disruption we see in mobility and autonomous vehicle development was waiting to happen, but technology is the carrier of this phase of mobility. When I started my career 26 years ago, it was the first time electronics and software was being merged for vehicle efficiency. However, most electronic control unit developments were under the hood and focused on engine efficiency. Today, it’s a whole new world. Earlier, the car wasn’t connected to the outside world. The advent of automotive grade semiconductor chips, high data speeds, economical data plans led to the auto industry’s A-Ha moment, leading us to think on improving in-car connectivity use cases. The world of electronics slingshot with the advent of machine intelligence on the edge and is changing the way we look at driving as an activity.

Tell me about MBUX.

So, MBUX is the Mercedes Benz User Experience infotainment system that learns from AI. MBUX can be individualised and adapts to suit the user. It creates an emotional connection between the vehicle, driver and passengers. At the same time updates “over the air” are possible. It also heralds a new era at Mercedes me Connectivity. Other features include the high-resolution Widescreen Cockpit with touchscreen operation, navigation display with augmented reality technology plus intelligent voice control with natural speech recognition, which is activated with the keyword “Hey Mercedes”. To understand hand gesturing alone, we have used nearly 35 million images, trained these images on a neural network and process them on edge. Moreover, the high accuracy of the AI on MBUX was a towering achievement for us, and has opened the doors for endless possibilities. A lot of great ideas are being worked out by our engineering teams and users can expect more AI-based features in MBUX in the coming months. MBUX is a product of today’s time where personalization goes more than just car paint and seat covers; digital personalization makes a customer’s driving experience more enriching.

Why are the India R&D centres in Bangalore and Pune so important?

For a couple of reasons. As you already mentioned, MBUX is the leading infotainment solution driven by AI that is available in almost every Mercedes car out there. This entire system software has been developed inhouse, in India. At CES Las Vegas 2018, when the MBUX presentation slide came up, it said: Where does this magic come from? And the next slide was of the Bangalore R&D centre and its employees. It was a truly exhilarating moment for us. Moreover, this accomplishment shows how far GCCs have come in India. GCCs are important again and playing a crucial role in enhancing the R&D profile of enterprises. There are over 5,000 skilled engineers at MBRDI, and we’re one of the largest development centres outside Germany. We have moved up the value chain from CAD, CAE and IT programming to advanced vehicle engineering and IT technologies. MBRDI is now responsible for new methods in design and CAE, software content for control units, head units and various critical engineering tools. Important components of digital dependencies on overall product development are located at MBRDI.

The global semiconductor chip shortage hit the auto sector badly. How does this impact innovation, and what does the road ahead look like for auto majors like Mercedes Benz?

The ongoing semiconductor chip shortage reflects the nature of the supply chain-controlled world that we currently live in. It has affected auto makers and will continue to do so for a while. But no one wants to go through this problem again. This has spurred some fundamental changes in the way OEMs are approaching the chip shortage and the causes behind it. While initial reactions were largely knee-jerk, fundamental discussions around the need for self-reliance is gaining momentum. We can expect a mid-term reaction with OEMs venturing into hardware production and streamlining excessive dependence on external suppliers.

Autonomous vehicle development can get a fillip with 5G. Your thoughts?

Suffices to say the entire auto industry is very excited about 5G and is eagerly awaiting commercial rollout. Beyond a point, edge devices have limitations and cloud-based intelligence is so much better for the vehicle. Augmented by low-latency, high speed networks like 5G, the possibilities of in-car connectivity are endless. I also see the allied and tertiary sectors benefiting from an improved network. Suppose one of the cameras in your Mercedes gets dislodged due to a minor accident and isn’t gathering data to feed into the software, a service centre needs to be able to fix this problem. The more intelligence we feed cars, a similar level of intelligence and skills to match must be available outside the car as well. The missing link here is high-speed connectivity. Other obvious benefits of 5G include route optimization and navigation, which require realtime, high speed data to be precise and fulfil their purpose. In fact, in-car features that are meant to thrive on 5G are ready but in-car speeds need to match up.

How has COVID19 impacted site operations?

It’s an unquestionably tough time for people, and for businesses worldover. But a year-and-a-half into the pandemic, I’ve learnt a lot and changed many aspects about myself. COVID19 has made us question work-life balance seriously, and the industry is trying to understand the workings of a hybrid model. At the end of the day, we’re an engineering company, fast-growing and innovating as we go. The importance and value of whiteboarding, brainstorming and meeting in person cannot be undermined, so we’re working on how to bring our employees back safely and responsibly.

 

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