About Mrs Benz
Mrs Benz is a single short-form narrative VR experience. It tells the true story of Bertha Benz, who undertook the world's first long-distance motorcar journey in 1888, and is produced by Singer Studios starring Daisy Ridley as Bertha and created by Eloise Singer.
What It Aims to Achieve
Learners step into Bertha's world: exploring her workshop, solving puzzles, repairing the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, and taking part in her pioneering journey. The experience combines cinematic storytelling, historical environments and interactive discovery to introduce themes of innovation, resilience, engineering, transport history, women in STEM, entrepreneurship and social change. It is positioned as an accessible way for students to engage with an overlooked historical figure.
Suggested learning outcomes: identify Bertha Benz and the significance of her 1888 journey; describe how the Benz Patent-Motorwagen contributed to modern transport; discuss the challenges innovators face introducing new technology; reflect on the role of women in the history of science, engineering and invention; explain how courage, experimentation and practical problem-solving drive technological progress; consider how society responds to disruptive innovation.
Historical Accuracy / Fact-Checking
Mrs Benz is based on the real history of Bertha Benz's 1888 journey, developed through a research-led creative process. The factchecking process included reviewing historical information on Bertha Benz, Karl Benz, and the Benz Patent-Motorwagen; attending the Mercedes-Benz historical archives and museum in Germany; reviewing the 1888 Mannheim-to-Pforzheim journey's significance; reviewing the broader social/technological context of late-19th-century Germany; and an internal creative review for consistency with known historical context.
Accessibility
Mrs Benz is included as standard within the ClassVR STEM subscription using our Excelerate CVR655-28 headset.