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60 Minutes, Mercedes-Benz steer driverless cars

James Raia

The prototype of the Mercedes-Benz driverless car.

In its segment on driverless cars, 60 Minutes showcased the latest technology being hotly pursued by numerous automakers, most notably Mercedes-Benz and Audi.

With Bill Whitaker as the segment host and Mercedes-Benz engineer Alex Hilliger von Thile as the “driver” the duo took a spin in a Mercedes F015. It’s the futuristic-looking prototype the German carmaker is testing as car that does the driving — on a pre-programmed course.

The sleek Mercedes-Benz had a lot newfangled equipment: As the segment detailed:

* Any passenger can control the car from any seat, two of which can face forward or backward;

* The no-button dashboard pops up with the swipe of a hand and responds to both eye movements and hand gestures;

* In the clip, Mercedes-Benz engineer adjusts the volume of the car’s music without touching a knob;

* The car uses cameras and radar sensors to detect its surroundings.

The prototype of the Mercedes-Benz driverless car.
The prototype of the Mercedes-Benz driverless car.

Von Thile’s also explains thcar’s ability to choose music from your playlist based on traffic.

“When you’re stuck in gridlock, he said. “it picks a calming song, and then shifts to something more ‘vibrant’ and ‘lively’ when the road is clear.”

Article Last Updated: October 4, 2015.

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