Using a special sensor, the Daimler researchers will in future be able to directly monitor oil quality on board a vehicle; maintenance intervals will thus be extended by around 25 percent. The oil's speed of flow, for instance, gives an indication of its degree of contamination and thus of its lubricative quality within the engine. What can be conveniently measured here in the laboratory is determined by other means by the scientists on board the moving vehicle, where they calculate the oil's viscosity on the basis of its side-to-side movement inside the sump.