In August 2013, Arrow embarked on an innovative project called SAM (SEMI-AUTONOMOUS MOTORCAR) to give a quadriplegic individual, and potentially other disabled race drivers, the opportunity to drive a race car at speed on a race track. Arrow led the development of the SAM car and the systems integration, as well as the engineering of specific systems for the car.…..9 months later, the SAM Project debuted at the 2014 Indy 500. The driver, Sam Schmidt is a former IndyCar driver, a Verizon IndyCar Series Team owner. He is living with quadriplegia since practice lap accident in 2000 and paralyzed from the shoulders down.
The SAM car enabled Sam Schmidt to become the first person with quadriplegia to drive a car at 107 mph (approximately 172 km per hour) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2014, garnering worldwide acclaim. Since then, Arrow continues to improve the performance and control of SAM.
Arrow Electronics’ SAM Project won 2014 Institution of Engineering and Technology Award in London.
On May 22, 2016, Schmidt reached a top speed of 152 mph (approximately 245 km per hour) at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a newly designed SAM, making a new speed record.
June 27, 2016, Schmidt made the famed climb in the Arrow Electronics Semi-Autonomous Motorcar (SAM), a modified 2016 Corvette Z06 that allows Schmidt to steer, accelerate and brake using only his head. Schmidt tackled the bottom half of the challenging 12.42 mile, 4,725 ft. climb, which included 156 twists and hairpin turns on the famed Pikes Peak Hill Climb in Colorado of the United States.
But this isn’t a story about racing. It’s about freedom. It is about how we can help individuals to solve their problems, leveraging innovative interconnected technologies. The SAM vehicle is designed to restore independence, control and a sense of accomplishment to a qualified disabled driver despite the physical limitations imposed by injury. The SAM car demonstrates how technology can enable disabled people to enjoy driving, restore independence and lower the barriers that inhibit us. As a result of this humanitarian project, we are working on expanding human-to-machine interface, intelligent sensing, and connectivity capabilities for next-generation robotics, industrial operations and defense applications, as well as a new generation of intelligent vehicles.
For more information, visit: http://www.arrow.com
