Future worlds of mobility
Immersing and experiencing / planning / deciding
The German Aerospace Centre (DLR) is presenting mozu, a new large‑scale research facility that makes mobility worlds experienceable not only visually but through all the senses. By combining 3‑D modelling, integrated transport demand models and interactive user interfaces, the system enables rapid, cost‑effective evaluation of future transport solutions—from stop designs to autonomous vehicles.
Multidimensional immersion – sound, smell, temperature and wind
Unlike existing VR environments, mozu offers immersion on every level. Acoustic signals (traffic noise, announcements), scents (exhaust fumes, freshly cut grass) and temperature‑based effects (heat from vehicles, cool wind at stops) complement the visual display. This sensory variety allows users to experience nuisances such as noise or air pollution directly and to assess their impact on the acceptance of transport solutions.
“The smell of diesel exhaust in the afternoon suddenly makes people think about alternative powertrains,” notes Dr Gernot Liedtke, commercial head of the DLR Institute of Transport Research. “This sensory feedback can significantly accelerate decision‑making.”
Preview: making the mobility transition tangible
With mozu, mobility service providers, industry stakeholders and public clients can experience, evaluate and optimise scenarios before they are physically implemented. Early identification of uneconomic measures during the planning stage, together with the ability to incorporate ecological effects into the simulation, contributes to a mobility transition that is both effective and sustainable.
The combination of multisensory immersion and data‑driven simulation makes mozu a unique tool in the research landscape, one that could fundamentally change how we plan transport and establish new modes.
The facility is under construction and is expected to open in September 2026. It will be operated by the DLR Institute of Transport Research.