IAA MOBILITY X Mercedes Vision AVTR

The second Avatar movie “Way of Water” is currently in theaters worldwide. The premiere event in Los Angeles featured a very special guest, the Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR. Although one would guess, AVTR doesn’t stand for Avatar. The concept vehicle has been inspired by the story around Pandora and the director of the Avatar movies, James Cameron, was involved in the development of it, but AVTR is an acronym for Advanced Vehicle Transformation. However, the similarity is no coincidence. The message of the Avatar movies, that people should be in a deeper connection with nature, is a strong principle of Mercedes-Benz’s corporate strategy and is strongly reflected by this vehicle.

As the most progressive platform for the future of mobility, sustainability and technology, IAA MOBILITY clearly focuses on environmentally friendly and intelligently connected mobility solutions. Thus, it’s in the nature of things, that this futuristic vehicle celebrated its European debut at IAA MOBILITY 2021 in Munich and inspired several thousand visitors with a utopian vision of the future.

The car manufacturer associates the merger of man and nature with the help of technology to the future of mobility. So, it’s no coincidence that the Vision AVTR is less reminiscent of a machine and more of a living organism – it comes to life as soon as you approach it. The LEDs turn on, and the solar panels on the rear of the car move like the scales of a reptile. At IAA MOBILITY the Vision AVTR left a strong impression. Especially interfusing the interior with the exterior was a real highlight. The aim of the car’s unique design language is to create an immersive experience while highlighting the topic of the merger of man, nature, and machine. Even more exciting than its extraordinary design is the biometric connection in the autonomous concept car. It enables a completely new type of communication between car and driver, namely via mind transfer and gestures. A menu is displayed in the palm of the driver's hand and can be operated intuitively from there. Instead of a common steering wheel, the Vision AVTR has a multifunctional control element in the center console. As soon as a passenger puts their palm on it, the car recognizes them by their heart rate. The seat adapts to the frequency and immediately starts pulsing. In this manner, the car forms sort of a symbiotic bond with the passenger, just like the Na’vi and their mounts in the Avatar movies. Instead of wheels, the Vision AVTR has spheres. Beyond the normal movement patterns of a car, this allows it to move 30 degrees sideways, in sort of a crab walk. "When you combine the possibilities of locomotion, the AVTR moves much like a snake," says Klaus Millerferli, project manager for show cars at Mercedes-Benz, enthusiastically.

Moreover, the Vision AVTR is very power efficient. With increasing use of digitalization, the efficiency of the large number of secondary consumers is also becoming a focus of attention. The so-called neuromorphic hardware of the Vision AVTR is capable to minimize the energy consumption of sensors, chips, and other components to not more than a few watts. The components are powered by the integrated solar panels on the vehicle’s rear.

The Vision AVTR is a masterpiece of automotive design and reflects everything, IAA MOBILITY stands for. Sustainability, connected mobility, unique technology, and emotion. It leads the way to a utopian future of humanity, where we can manage our resources well and live in harmony with each other, as well as in accordance with nature. If that isn’t a positive inspiration, what is it then?