The Daimler DigitalLife Bus was created as part of TECH FLAT. The bus was equipped with the latest technologies from a wide range of fields such as VR, AR and smart home. To reach as many people in the group as possible, the bus drove all across Germany and stopped at every Daimler plant. There, employees could try out the gadgets built into the bus and take inspiration from them.
Inspiration is an important ingredient for being productive later in ideation. Daimler shows how to design a bus of the future cost-effectively and inspire a great many employees along the way.
In collaboration with FUTURE CANDY, the Daimler DigitalLife Bus was sent out onto Germany's roads. Gadgets from a wide variety of fields were built into the bus. Among other things, a Microsoft HoloLens and a Sony Xperia Touch were used so people could be productive during the journey. Thanks to the Sony PlayStation VR, fun was not neglected either – it let employees dive into virtual worlds.
Amazon's voice assistant "alexa" was used for smart home control. Voice commands controlled integrated lamps and a light strip that could completely change the ambience of the interior. A smart coffee machine and various sockets for plugging in all kinds of devices were also integrated.
Besides inspiring future bus concepts, the bus was to serve another purpose and be used as a space for all employees in the group to try things out and find inspiration. A tour of Germany was planned that would include every Daimler plant. On site, people could inspect the bus and try the technologies intensively. The two positive effects were higher employee satisfaction and the generation of ideas for future projects through prompts for inspiration.