Powered by Nuance’s
state-of-the-art conversational AI technology, MBUX leverages the Nuance Dragon
Drive platform to understand and continuously learn the needs and preferences
of both drivers and passengers over time to provide an increasingly
personalised and connected experience.
Designed for the future
Analysts have predicted that
by 2020, there will be 24 billion IoT devices installed globally and more than 200 million connected cars on
the road. As these connected,
autonomous, shared, and electric vehicles become increasingly standard, the
expectations drivers and passengers will have for in-car interactions will
continue to evolve. Nuance’s conversational AI technology and the combination
of cloud connectivity with embedded, on-board technology is helping to lead
this evolution, delivering an intelligent and intuitive user experience that is
integrated elegantly into the vehicle.
MBUX’s offerings include:
• A Truly Conversational
Interface – One of the first in-car systems activated by a wake-up word rather
than the push of a button, MBUX is engaged with a simple, “Hey Mercedes.”
Natural language understanding (NLU) and natural language generation (NLG) then
allow drivers and passengers to interact with MBUX naturally, just as they
would with another person, to ask questions and complete requests. For example,
if a driver asks, “can I wear flip flops tomorrow?” the assistant understands
that the request calls for the weather forecast and can respond naturally with
“yes, it will be warm tomorrow.” If a driver says, “it’s too hot in here,” the
assistant knows to reduce the in-car temperature. It utilises natural and
varied outputs rather than stereotypical, scripted answers.
• Continuous Recall for
Ongoing Conversation – The natural language understanding designed into MBUX
recalls what a driver has said previously and can understand references to
things that were said in the past, just like humans can. For example, a user
might say “send a message to John,” then follow up with “send it also to
Maria,” or ask “what’s the weather like in London?” then follow up with “how
about in Manchester?” The assistant has the intelligence to follow the conversation
and respond to such requests.
• Hybrid, Adaptive System –
The system is pre-wired to accept flexible, over-the-air updates via the cloud,
even for functions designed and embedded directly into the vehicle. As the
software model is continuously enriched with new words or changing use of
language over time, new domains (for example seasonal sports events), virtual
assistants and services can be added to broaden the spectrum of information
available to the driver at any time and ensure the vehicle can always include
state-of-the-art capabilities. In addition, the assistant is deeply integrated
with the car itself, enabling voice-powered control of in-car functions like
climate and music and features like in-seat temperature and massage.
“With MBUX, we have come
another step closer to turning the vehicle into a mobile assistant,” emphasized
Sajjad Khan, vice president, Digital Vehicle & Mobility, at Daimler, adding
that, “As we work to create new experiences for Mercedes drivers, the new
technologies we implement must have the user at the forefront, with the goal of
making interaction with the car seamless and simple. That’s why we worked
closely with Nuance, a long-time partner, on MBUX, leveraging their intuitive
and natural voice and language solutions as an integral part of how we build an
in-car experience that helps differentiate us in the minds of drivers.”
Source: Nuance Communications