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Surfing in your Mercedes
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April 29, 1997: 9:19 a.m. ET
Mercedes to introduce prototype that allows drivers to access the Internet
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - In what may turn out to be either a godsend for car-bound Web surfers or a disaster for auto insurance companies, Daimler-Benz is rolling out a prototype that will allow drivers to access the Internet in their cars.
Engineers at a Daimler-Benz research center in Silicon Valley are expected Wednesday to unveil a Mercedes E420 equipped to give both driver and passenger the ability to get on the World Wide Web, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
The car that will be demonstrated at the Palo Alto, Calif. center is equipped with three flat-panel displays; one in the center of the dashboard and two in the back of the headrests for use by rear-seat passengers.
The computers, an IBM Thinkpad, an Internet gateway computer and a Sega Saturn game machine, will be contained in the car's trunk. Internet connections will be made with an cellular phone and a wireless modem.
Drivers will use controls embedded in a front-seat armrest to access the Web. Engineers hope to alleviate some safety concerns about drivers being distracted by developing speech-synthesis software.
The engineers cautioned, however, that their "Web Car" is at this point still a demonstration and will take at least five years to be offered commercially to the public.
They explained that the new model could have many helpful applications. Instead of only sending and receiving e-mail, the car could potentially use customized traffic alerts transmitted by the Web and also utilize road assistance and repair centers in the event of a breakdown.
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Mercedes-Benz
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