Mercedes Plans to Merge Google Glass and In-Car Navigation

Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz division aims to pair the new Google Glass interactive eyewear to its in-car navigation system to give drivers a voice-activated system they can take with them when they exit the vehicle.

Google Glass is a lens worn over one eye that enables a user to access the internet, get directions and information, and take and share pictures and videos easily via a voice and one-touch interface.

Mercedes' North American R&D chief Johann Jungwirth tells Automotive News Europe that the idea of merging Google Glass with a car's navigation head unit could provide seamless connectivity as consumers move from one form of mobility to another.

Mercedes envisions a system that would provide vehicle guidance to a destination, but also transfer that location back into the glasses to assist the wearer in reaching the desired address on foot or when transferring to another mode of transportation.

Jungwirth says the goal is to give drivers much of the same information in their cars that they can access via their smartphones and personal computers. He tells ANE that Google Glass will be a Mercedes option when the technology becomes commercially available.

Germany's Puls marketing research firm says it's likely other automakers will consider Google Glass applications too, although none has yet been announced. A Puls study shows 45% of German car owners are interested in using Google Glass to connect to the Internet.