Mercedes Benz Project SMNR: Here’s what you need to know

Mercedes Benz Project SMNR – Mercedes-Benz combines its passion for League of Legends Esports with its exceptional design ability in project SMNR to produce a one-of-a-kind virtual show car developed in collaboration with Riot Games, the company behind the popular video game League of Legends. The vibrant world of League of Legends inspired the designers at Mercedes, who created a vehicle that in an unprecedented way blurs the line between reality and fiction.

 “We were allowed to unleash our creativity for the first time, free from the constraints of matter and physics”. According to Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer of Mercedes Benz Group AG, “There are no boundaries to what we can develop because of the virtual space”. “Project SMNR manifests our effort to continuously improve our design and a manifestation of our effort to continuously improve our design and to push ourselves to try new things. We provide room for the unexpected in our creative process.”

Design

Project SMNR represents the Sensual Purity design ethos of Mercedes-Benz. The show car is a singular example of how beauty and the unusual coexist. Due to the entire virtual environment, the design is free from laws of physics and production limitations. The ensuing utilization of brand-new substances, referred to as “metamaterials,” pushes the bounds of what is practical. The two-seater vehicle, for instance, has a dynamic profile, a driver’s cockpit that is positioned in the centre, and enhanced ground clearance. The flexible energy fields enable the complete dissolution of the axles and bring their absence into focus.

Additionally, the spokes run inwards and highlight the sculptural axle tunnel. The wheels in the traditional sense have been replaced by energy fields and are fluidly integrated into the overall design of the vehicle. This adds to the show car’s strong and energizing image, together with the conspicuously short rear section. The design surprises with bioluminescent energy particles and flowing structures where one would anticipate supporting structures or solid materiality. The vehicle’s design is built on two original components: the “Energetic Core” and the “Zoning Molecules,” inspired by the gaming industry in general and LoL Esports in particular.

Energetic Core

The “Energetic Core” dominates Project SMNR’s dynamic design language and serves as the vehicle’s fundamental character. It is the main component of the design and serves to sustain both the central passenger cell as well as the energy field-based wheels.

Zoning Molecules

The “Zoning Molecules” are a layer of semi-transparent molecules that constantly adapt to their surroundings. The semi-transparent layer not only allows a view of the show car’s interior but also creates a completely new impression of design language and exterior appearance. Project SMNR can thus take on any shape imaginable thanks to the vehicle’s “Zoning Molecules” and adapt to the solid Energetic Core, as the central design element, at any time. The name “Zoning Molecules” is inadvertently derived from the video game “League of Legends”. The region that has team control is called a “zone,” and the word “to zone” refers to complete control of a particular area.

Bioluminescent components

Project SMNR is made possible by the bioluminescent components, which enable fluid changes in form and movement. This is so that each energy particle can represent a player and their in-game avatar, known as a “Summoner” in League of Legends. As a result, each particle serves as both a design component and an energy source for the machine. The Project SMNR’s rhythmically throbbing heart is driven by the participants, supporters, and their Summoners, illuminating various parts of the vehicle.

All fans may experience this remarkable approach at the Mercedes EQ House in the Riot Games Fan Village in San Francisco during this year’s Worlds. A multi-screen exhibition that sharply details the car from various angles showcases Project SMNR in an immersive and participatory way. Project SMNR, which represents the environment in real-time with a hologram, offers the first fully three-dimensional user interface in virtual space.

Mercedes-Benz and Riot Games

Riot Games and Mercedes-Benz have an exclusive collaboration that began in 2020 and covers all of Riot Games’ League of Legends Esports competitions worldwide. The advancement of the global esports culture and the bolstering of the global League of Legends community are the focal points of all efforts of the exclusive commitment of both partners.