For petrolheads the roar of a full-throttle V8 engine can often be music to their ears. However, Mercedes have teamed up with will.i.am to provide a different kind of aural experience for those in the driving seat.

The Black Eyed Peas founder has created in-car software that makes the music you listen to respond to the way you drive. The MBUX Sound Drive uses sensors in the engine and car to alter music on the sound system as the driver accelerates, brakes and turns.

“It’s where the driver is composing every single route. So the same route will be a different configuration of music, where the driver is the conductor,” the artist told a launch event at the CES technology conference in Las Vegas.

will.i.am, born William James Adams Jr, has become a household name in the UK through his music and appearances on the ITV talent show The Voice. The Grammy winner has also forged a career as a tech entrepreneur. His company, Melodic Sound, has developed Sound Drive and licensed it to Mercedes.

Mercedes said the technology is capable of syncing with other in-car “signals”, suggesting that windscreen rain sensors could one day prompt “soothing rhythms” during a downpour.

The collaboration is an example of how car makers are increasingly envisioning vehicles as entertainment hubs, given advances in self-driving technology. They are also trying novel ways to replace engine sounds missing in electric cars.

Mercedes also unveiled a deal with Audible and Dolby to improve audiobook quality in the car with the spatial sound technology Dolby Atmos.

will.i.am has grand ambitions for Sound Drive, which he hopes will tempt artists to create a new genre of music. “Instead of just composing for the top 40 and aiming, hopefully one day you have a hit, you are now composing for routes,” he said.

The deal with Mercedes is exclusive for now but will.i.am’s spokesperson says there are “potential future expansion plans”.

Keen to allay fears that drivers will speed in response to the new technology, the rapper said the system recognises speed limits to discourage this: “Safety is first.”

During demonstrations, Sound Drive had 16 tracks capable of responding to driving, including the Black Eyed Peas’ I’ve Got A Feeling and Doja Cat’s Woman, but will.i.am is promising to increase that offering for launch.

Sound Drive will be rolled out from “mid-2024” to owners of Mercedes AMG models equipped with the second-generation MBUX system.

Elsewhere at CES, two South Korean tech giants announced they would be releasing AI-powered house robots.

Samsung’s Ballie, which is about the size of a tennis ball, can keep an eye on your pets with video updates when you’re out. It can also turn on lights, act as a projector for your computer and double as a personal trainer.

First announced in 2020 but never released, Samsung said the new and improved Ballie would appear this year. Its rival LG also unveiled a two-legged house robot, AI Agent, which it believes could “liberate users from the burden of housework”. With a built-in camera, speaker and sensors it keeps an eye on your home, alerting you if there’s an open window or light on, and greets visitors at the door. Sadly for those burdened by stacks of washing, there is no release date.

Among the start-ups showing off their wares is Zero Zero Robotics with their lightweight selfie drone that hovers above you to take your video. The HOVERAirX1 is pocket-sized, weighs just 125g and lifts off your palm. It has five flight modes, depending on how you want to be filmed, and costs £395. No more selfie sticks needed.

Taking Sound Drive out for a spin

When listening to will.i.am in his promotional video rap about Sound Drive, the first thing you actually hear is a klaxon going off in your head warning you of an incoming gimmick (Mark Sellman writes). “Imagine a song conducted by the road/Your hand on the steering wheel means music’s at hand/and your foot on the pedal means it’s time to jam”, go his lyrics. Mercedes wisely allowed us give the experience a go to try to dispel any cynicism.

Driving along Las Vegas’s wide boulevards with the feature on, it takes a while to understand how driving changes the music. The Black Eyed Peas’ I Got a Feeling and will.i.am’s dance track with Britney Spears, Scream & Shout, wax and wane as you accelerate and brake. Turn left and right and another layer is introduced. There’s certainly a holistic feeling, being more in tune, literally, with the car. When the road opens up and I floor the SUV, there is a surge of sound which does lift the heart, albeit temporarily given the next red light, with the brake muffling things again.

It definitely gets the mind going: I imagine trying to explain to a police officer why I have rear-ended another car because I wanted to hear a loud chorus. What would the experience be like in urban areas, where most of the time is spent crawling along and hitting the brake? will.i.am hopes different tunes will emerge to adapt to this.

Sound Drive is an interesting experiment, but will it make people more likely to buy a Mercedes? No, a senior executive admits to me in a moment of candour, but in the race to reinvent our cars as lounges on wheels, the collaboration is a good way to grab the limelight.