Paralyzed Driver Completes Goodwood Hillclimb in Head Tracking Car

By admin On Jun 27, 2022

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Sam Schmidt, a former IndyCar driver who was paralyzed in all limbs in an accident, completed the Hillclimb at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in a modified car. He drove a McLaren 720S with head tracking and with his mouth.

Infrared cameras on the dashboard of the car capture Schmidt’s head movements, allowing him to steer left and right. The driver uses his mouth for acceleration and braking. This works with a device that Schmidt blows or sucks into, respectively to accelerate or brake.

According to an press release from Arrow Schmidt completed the 1.86km circuit this year in a modified McLaren 720S. The company shows a photo, but no video material. Last year, Schmidt also visited the Goodwood Festival of Speed, then with his modified Corvette C8. There is a video of that ride on YouTube.

Sam Schmidt in a modified McLaren 720S at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

Further technical details on the modifications to the McLaren 720S have not been disclosed, but the Arrow website describes how the system works in the previously modified Corvette. Four infrared cameras on the dashboard track the driver’s movements, who wear a helmet with four infrared sensors. Acceleration and braking works by blowing into and sucking at a nozzle with a pressure sensor from Freescale. Its input is passed on to rotary actuators that operate the accelerator and brake pedals.

Schmidt developed the technique to be able to drive a car despite his paralysis, in collaboration with Arrow. That company also sponsors the Arrow McLaren SP racing team, which Schmidt founded after he became paralyzed in 2000. The makers call the technique SAM: Semi-Autonomous Motorcar.

In 2014, Schmidt drove again for the first time since his accident in 2000. At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway he reached a speed of 172 km/h. In 2015, Schmidt took part in a championship in racing simulator iRacing, with a simulator using SAM technology. 25 professional sim racers entered and Schmidt took 16th place. In 2016, Schmidt also competed in the Pikes Peak hillclimb with his modified Corvette.