Mercedes AR app gives truck drivers crucial info on their rig

Mercedes isn't new to experimenting with augmented reality, and at MWC 2018 the company showed off its latest creation with that technology. The "Vehicle Lens" app is exactly what it sounds like: It uses a smartphone to give you an AR view of a car or truck, showing vital information as you move around and point the camera at different parts of your ride. If you have it facing the wheels, for example, you see details about tire pressure. That will come in handy before taking a trip. In addition to that, Vehicle Lens can display engine info like mileage and coolant levels, how much fuel there is and personal info about drivers -- including if they've been driving for too long.

In this particular case, Mercedes is touting the application as a tool for Semi truck drivers and fleet owners, but there's no reason why it couldn't also work with its consumer vehicles. The other great part about Vehicle Lens is that it uses the data it collects to make driving recommendations, something that Mercedes says is able to help drivers save up to 15 percent in fuel consumption. Vehicle Lens is already being rolled out to Mercedes' FleetBoard partners, which is important because it's proof that the company doesn't view its latest AR project as just a gimmick.

Catch up on the latest news from MWC 2018 right here.

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