Arrow Electronics Helps Racecar Driver Sam Schmidt Regain Independence Two Decades After Accident Leaves Him Paralyzed
January 09 2020 - 11:56AM
Business Wire
“To me, driving is freedom.”
On Jan. 6, 2000, a racing accident left IndyCar driver Sam
Schmidt paralyzed from the shoulders down.
Twenty years later, Schmidt is driving again at speeds up to 192
mph. To help Schmidt reclaim his independence and drive again,
engineers at Arrow Electronics modified a Chevrolet Corvette to
create a smart, connected vehicle that he can operate safely and
independently.
Known as the Arrow SAM Car – SAM stands for semi-autonomous
mobility – Schmidt controls the Corvette on the racetrack or city
streets using head controls and voice commands.
Sensors on an Arrow-designed headset that Schmidt wears connect
to infrared cameras mounted on the dashboard and detect his head
motions to steer. A sip-and-puff device enables him to accelerate
and brake using his breath.
“This technology has created a freedom that I never thought I
would feel,” Schmidt said. “Absolutely anything's possible. This
project proved that to me.”
Recently, Schmidt approached the 20th anniversary of his racing
accident by tracing the 2.5 mile Freedom Trail, a route connecting
historic landmarks in Boston.
The objective of Arrow’s SAM Car project is to enable drivers
with physical disabilities to experience the mobility and
independence of driving again by leveraging the power of
technology. The software and technology that Arrow developed for
the car is open to the developer and engineering communities, and
it has promising broader applications for independent living.
For the past two years, Arrow has collaborated with Schmidt’s
nonprofit Conquer Paralysis Now and his DRIVEN NeuroRecovery
Center. Now, people disabled by military combat, spinal cord
injuries, illness and aging are able to experience similar freedom
in the Arrow SAM Car on closed courses.
In October 2019, eight disabled drivers got behind the wheel of
the SAM Car at the “Drive to Conquer Paralysis” fundraiser in Las
Vegas. The drivers, clients of the neurorecovery center, used the
head controls to drive at SpeedVegas, a 1.5 mile racetrack in Las
Vegas. The event also provided an opportunity for guests to ride in
the SAM car with Schmidt.
Schmidt first drove the Arrow SAM Car in demonstration laps on
the iconic oval track at the 2014 Indy 500. In the subsequent five
and one-half years, Schmidt has driven the SAM car on several road
course tracks and the 12-mile summit road at the 2016 Pikes Peak
International Hill Climb. He has been driving on public streets
with a unique quadriplegic driver’s license since late 2016, thanks
to a collaboration between Arrow and Schmidt’s home state of
Nevada.
For more information on the project, visit arrow.com/SAM/ or
keep up with SAM project developments on Twitter by following
#ArrowDriven.
Arrow Electronics
Arrow Electronics (NYSE:ARW) guides innovation forward for over
200,000 leading technology manufacturers and service providers.
With 2018 sales of $30 billion, Arrow develops technology solutions
that improve business and daily life. Learn more at
FiveYearsOut.com.
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John Hourigan jhourigan@arrow.com
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