Mercedes-Benz was revved up about ‘future of mobility’ in 1986
It’s impossible to attend an auto show these days without hearing the phrase “future of mobility.” The vague, blanket term refers to a diverse array of forward-thinking technologies but it’s most often used to describe advancements in the fields of electrification and autonomous driving. Yet, believe it or not, it’s nothing new.
In October of 1986, MercedesBenz initiated a research project named Prometheus that explored the future of mobility — the company’s words, not ours — by seeking ways cars can avoid accidents on their own.
Mercedes set up an in-house research division in the early 1970s. Over the following decade, the unit dabbled in a wide variety of technologies, including trip computers, anti-lock brakes, airbags and even plug-in hybrid powertrains. Prometheus (an acronym which stood for Program for European Traffic with Highest Efficiency and Unprecedented Safety) looked even further into the future.
“We realized very quickly that there could be just one solution to the growing traffic problems,” explained Prometheus project manager Walter Ziegler. “We had to integrate new technologies — above all, microelectronics, sensor technology, telecommunications, and information processing — in road traffic as comprehensively as possible.”
The press kit distributed in 1986 noted the project’s main goals were to increase traffic safety in spite of the growing number of private cars, harmonize the traffic flow without building new roads, reduce a car’s impact on the environment and enhance comfort. Are you experiencing déjà vu? These are essentially the very same goals car companies tirelessly cite today.
Mercedes engineers built a prototype named Vision Information Technology Application (VITA), capable of braking, accelerating and steering without any input from the driver. The on-board computers relied on automatic image processing technology to analyze the road ahead and brake if they sensed a collision was imminent.
The system worked relatively well, according to period road testers, but there was a major catch. The hardware took up the Sprintersized van’s entire cargo compartment and it generated so much heat Mercedes had to install two massive A/C units to keep it cool.
As engineers fine-tuned the technology, they improved its accuracy and developed components small enough to fit in the trunk of a W126-generation S-Class.
But while the prototypes could drive autonomously, they were unable to pinpoint their exact location. The Global Positioning System (GPS) at that time was still largely used by the American air force, and was uncommon in the hands of civilians or private companies.
Engineers got creative. They made maps with the help of a publishing company to plot data gathered by a sensor that detected the Earth’s magnetic field. On the autobahn, the prototypes used wheelmounted sensors to measure distance covered. Both worked but neither proved accurate enough to reach volume production.
Mercedes shut down Prometheus in 1994, though it continued working on autonomous technology on its own. Brand officials demonstrated what they learned during the eight-year project by sending an autonomous prototype on a 1,000-kilometre drive across Germany.
While some analysts predicted autonomous cars were right around the corner, cost, safety and legal concerns prevented them from breaking into the mainstream. That’s why we most likely won’t see a completely autonomous car with Mercedes’ three-pointed star emblem on the hood — or any brand badge, for that matter — before the end of the decade.
Prometheus nonetheless demonstrated the role computers can play in preventing an accident and, in that sense, its legacy lives on.