Artificial intelligence is the next big thing in cars, with infotainment systems now acting as companions you can talk to and interact with. We’ve now learned that Mercedes-Benz has developed an AI-based system that will be able to automatically predict and adapt the climate control for every occupant of a vehicle.
According to a new patent filed with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA), the climate control system would proactively adapt to meet the needs of each occupant, automatically correcting for weather and personal preferences to set the ambient air temperature perfectly, with the goal of added convenience.
Learning The Preferences Of Every Regular Occupant
There are limitations to such a concept, with one being that it requires historical data to learn and adapt from. That means you’re likely not going to find the perfect climate control settings every time you get into the back of an Uber. But for regular drivers and passengers in a Mercedes vehicle equipped with this tech, you just might.
The process is relatively simple and begins with the car identifying the occupant it needs to cater to, using one or several of the following:
- Fingerprint sensors on the door handles
- Seat belt signals
- Weight sensors in the seats
- Interior cameras with facial recognition
- Personal logins via a Bluetooth-connected mobile device or smart key
Once the occupant is identified, the car can go about setting the temperature correctly. To do so, it would factor in historical data for the particular occupant, building up a database of preferences and correlating these with recorded data such as weather forecasts and environmental temperatures.
Natural, Human-Like Voice Interaction
The machine learning model can then cross-reference historical data to predict the settings you’re most likely to prefer, making the suggestion via a voice-based AI assistant before adjusting accordingly. This goes well beyond the current voice controls of “Hey car, I’m cold” to yield a single-degree temperature increase.
Mercedes provides an example of an exterior temperature of 9°C. When an occupant enters the car, the system might use historical data to suggest setting the interior temperature to 19°C and turning on the windshield heater for added comfort. If you accept, and later make minor manual adjustments, these would be committed to memory, resulting in a more accurate suggestion the next time around, improving with continued use.
