Mercedes-Benz Digital Door Handles Into Information Displays

Mercedes-Benz has just revealed its latest iterations of the AMG GT 63 four-door, and they’re spectacular. But sadly, the world’s focus is switching to electrification, and as our cars become ever more digital, the buying public is demanding more and more in the way of personalization. High-end vehicles like the Mercedes EQS offer loads of tech and loads of scope for customization, but if new patent filings discovered by CarBuzz are anything to go by, Mercedes customers still want more. To better meet their needs, Mercedes has filed a patent application for a door handle that incorporates a novel display. Silly or smart? Let’s see.
 

In the documents filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Mercedes posits that “there is an increasing desire to individualize individual products such as vehicles. The customer expects the vehicle to be designed as individually and personally as possible and/or to respond to him/her.” To that end, Mercedes says that, by using a liquid crystal display made up of either regular light-emitting diodes or even organic LEDs (OLED), it could make the door handle capable of displaying personalized information. Using a signal from a smartphone app would be the simplest method for individual user detection in the same manner as phone-as-key systems, so when one user of the car approaches, the car could detect who it is and display a personal message, like “Hi, Geoff!” or “Good evening, Rosa.”
 

This display could be used for a variety of functions, from linking your smartphone and using it as a personalized digital key to displaying weather conditions. Heck, it could even tell you how long it would take you to get to work on a day. Another possible application mentioned in the documentation pertains to the customization we spoke of earlier. One could have the door handle appear as if it has a chrome strip in regular conditions, with it lighting up green when open or red when locked. Alternatively, Mercedes says you could select other preloaded designs for the digital door handle, such as one that matches the interior trim or color scheme. Furthermore, you may be able to use a camera in the car or on your app-linked phone to scan in a pattern or design that you like and have this displayed on the handles.
 
It’s an interesting idea, albeit one people are sure to make a mockery of with silly messages and tasteless brand labels, but is this a screen too many?