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Arrow Electronics Returns to Goodwood for Iconic Festival of Speed ​​Rise

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Paralyzed racing driver Sam Schmidt has driven the 1,86km of the iconic Goodwood Festival of Speed ​​Hillclimb in Arrow Electronics' semi-autonomous vehicle (SAM Car) on June 24, as part of the 'FOS Highlights and FIA Batch 5.

Sam Schmidt and Arrow entered this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed ​​with a 720 McLaren 2021S Spider, which has been modified by Arrow so that Schmidt can drive the car with just his head. In addition, Arrow exhibited the semi-autonomous mobility exoskeleton (SAM Suit) at the Festival of Speed's Future Lab, and a facial recognition driving system prototype for the SAM Car that is under development and has been successfully tested at low speeds. .

Schmidt is a co-owner of an IndyCar team (Arrow McLaren SP) and a former Indy Racing League driver. He had an accident during a practice lap at Orlando's Walt Disney World Speedway in 2000 that severely injured his spinal cord and caused him quadriplegia. To help Schmidt regain his independence and drive again, Arrow engineers have created a smart, connected vehicle that can drive safely and independently using head and mouth controls and voice commands: the Arrow SAM Car.

To drive, infrared cameras on the dashboard detect Schmidt's head movements: look left to steer the car left and right to steer right. To speed up and brake, Schmidt uses his breath; inhale or exhale through a "puff and puff" device. And so Schmidt has returned to being a racing driver.

Arrow has designed another technology to enhance Schmidt's mobility: the SAM Suit. The result of a collaboration between Arrow and robotics engineering researchers at Vanderbilt University (Nashville, USA), Arrow's SAM Suit improves on current exoskeleton technology with extensions to support Schmidt's torso and arms, and their lower extremities. The SAM Suit is part of the technological approach used to develop Arrow's SAM Car, demonstrating how technology can provide freedom and choice for people with disabilities.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed, Presented by Mastercard is an annual motorsports event held on the grounds of Goodwood House in the south of England, organized by Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, Duke of Richmond. The event has been held since 1993 and combines current, historical and future elements of motorsports and racing.