Paralyzed Driver To Race Using His Head

By Ganesh

Published: Saturday, May 17, 2014, 16:33 [IST]

Technology can be amazing. This is most evident in this case where a former racing driver who is now paralyzed, is attempting to get back to racing in a modified 2014 Corvette C7 Stingray that can be controlled using just his head.

Sam Schmidt is a former Indy Racing League driver, who, after a crash at Florida's Walt Disney World Speedway in January 2000, was paralysed, rendering all his limbs useless.

Now though, thanks to Arrow SAM (semi-autonomous motorcar) Project, he will be getting back behind the wheels to do promotional laps before the start of the IndyCar racing event.

This has been made possible by the highly advanced modified 2014 Corvette C7 Stingray, which has several bells and whistles in the form of computer chips, sensors and other electronics.

This is how it works. Cameras in the car detect positions of reflective infrared markers on the driver's helmet, so that when the head is tilted left or right, the steering automatically turns to complete the action. Similarly, tilting the head back accelerates the car and biting down on a mouth tube applies the brakes.

The car also has several safety features & warning systems that can steer the car away from the track edge or pull it out of an uncontrolled drift if the driver loses control. There will also be a safety driver riding shotgun, who can drive using secondary controls if required. Furthermore, the car can even be driven remotely in case of an emergency.

The Arrow SAM (semi-autonomous motorcar) Project is being run by Arrow Electronics, Ball Aerospace, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and the non-profit Falci Adaptive Motorsports.

The project holds a lot of promise for disabled drivers like Schmidt who will once again be able to get back to driving on their own.