zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Watch Sam Schmidt Power This Head-Controlled Corvette C8 At Goodwood
Watch Sam Schmidt Power This Head-Controlled Corvette C8 At Goodwood-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:57

Image for article titled Watch Sam Schmidt Power This Head-Controlled Corvette C8 At Goodwood

When racer Sam Schmidt crashed at Walt Disney World Speedway ahead of the 2000 IndyCar season, he was diagnosed with quadriplegia, which effectively ended his racing career. But this weekend, advancements in technology mean the IndyCar team owner is racing a Corvette C8 up the hill at Goodwood.

Schmidt has had a longstanding partnership with Arrow Electronics, a Fortune 500 company that has sponsored Schmidt’s teams for years, and the two have been working together on developing a car that can be controlled by nothing but one’s head movements, which is much of what Schmidt can control.

Enter the Corvette SAM, or Semi-Autonomous Motorcar. Schmidt has been working on this since 2013, and he was able to make his first lap around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2014. Since then, he and Arrow have been implementing countless other improvements that have allowed Schmidt to travel faster and farther, with test runs at the Pikes Peak Hillclimb and road trips to iconic destinations. Schmidt’s home state, Nevada, has even issued him a unique driver’s license that allows him to legally operate these cars on the road.

Now, you can watch him make a lap at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which is taking place this weekend:

To control the car, sensors track the driver’s subtle head movements which correspond to specific actions in the car. The driver wears a hat fitted with eight infrared sensors that can be tracked by cameras and provide real-time feedback.

So, to decide where he wanted to go in the initial concept, Schmidt just had to look in that direction. To accelerate, he had to tilt his head and tap the headrest, which signaled acceleration in 10 mph increments. To brake, he bit down on a sensor between his teeth.

The concept has grown more refined over time with testing and advancements in technology. Now, Sam puffs breath into a mouthpiece that can sense pressure changes and which controls acceleration based on the amount of air pressure Schmidt creates. That same mouth pressure sensor is used in braking, but instead of exhaling, Schmidt sips air, and the changes in air pressure again dictate the force of braking used. He also has much better control over the racing line now.

Arrow has also used its team of dedicated engineers to provide Schmidt with an exoskeleton that allowed him to walk for the first time in over two decades and at her wedding.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
In another unsurprising example of motorsport’s inhospitable mindset toward hiring competent women, the Racing team has announced a new partnership with Ava Rose, a literal , who will... engage with fans? Share knowledge about technology? “Navigate the cutting edge of innovation to create positive change” (whatever that means)? I...
Jul 12, 2025
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
If you listen to Formula 1 or local officials from Las Vegas and Clark County, you’d probably think November’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was a success. Some sources estimated that the city of Las Vegas made over $1 billion in revenue from the event — but there were...
Jul 12, 2025
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
Name a car from the early 1960s built by a famed racing driver with curvy, lightweight aluminum bodywork, a big American engine, and a reputation for being unruly and fast as all hell. Your first thought was probably the famed Shelby Cobra, did you know there was a who...
Jul 12, 2025
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
The partially North Carolina-based squad has determined that after , it needs to mix things up a little. The team’s firebrand has been following an abysmal 2023 season which saw the team score just four points-paying finishes. The team’s , where scored a fourth-place finish, but that season too...
Jul 12, 2025
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Fellow nerds, get ready to open your wallets, because I’ve found what may be the greatest store of all time. With designs from Formula 1 teams like , you’re sure to find something that fits your particular nostalgic niche. I’d like to introduce you to Racing Retro. I first...
Jul 12, 2025
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
If you follow racing in the U.S., you probably already know about the . Most of the episodes are too much of a distraction to put on as background noise while you work, but a couple of recent entries in his series have been working incredibly well for me....
Jul 12, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved