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Disabled Man to Drive Chevrolet Corvette With Head Movements

Sam Schmidt and the Semi-Autonomous Motorcar (SAM) Chevrolet Corvette 6 photos
Photo: USAF
Sam Schmidt and the Semi-Autonomous Motorcar (SAM) Chevrolet CorvetteSam Schmidt and the Semi-Autonomous Motorcar (SAM) Chevrolet CorvetteSam Schmidt and the Semi-Autonomous Motorcar (SAM) Chevrolet CorvetteSam Schmidt and the Semi-Autonomous Motorcar (SAM) Chevrolet CorvetteSam Schmidt and the Semi-Autonomous Motorcar (SAM) Chevrolet Corvette
Meet Sam Schmidt. After competing in the Indy Racing League for three years and netting a win at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 1999, Sam's racing career came to a dramatic full stop.
On January 6th, 2000, while offseason testing at the Walt Disney World Speedway, Sam crashed his car and became a quadriplegic, a heavy paralysis condition resulting in the loss of use of all limbs and torso.

After recovering from the accident, Schmidt realized he wouldn't be able to drive a race car ever again. Inspired by paraplegic Formula 1 team owner Sir Frank Williams, the Nebraskan founded his own racing team as a result.

Sam Schmidt Motorsports won three championships of the Firestone Indy Lights series with Thiago Medeiros, Jay Howard and Alex Lloyd. However, the 49-year-old's wish to once again be able to drive a race car will become true in a few days' time thanks to a highly modified 2014 Chevrolet Corvette C7 Stingray.

After more than 14 years of paralysis, Sam will take the wheel of the Semi-Autonomous Motorcar (SAM), which uses an ingenious array of electronic systems for controlling the throttle, braking and steering. Inspired by the Eurofighter Typhoon's avionics and head-up display technology, this unique Corvette is equipped with a set of infrared sensors and cameras, on-board GPS and rotary actuators.

Thanks to a special hat design with reflective infrared markers, Sam will be able to turn the car accordingly by tilting his head left or right, accelerate by tilting it back and brake by biting down a pressure sensor in his mouth. Sam will test the unique human-to-machine interface under racetrack conditions on May 25th, when he will attempt to drive a few laps during the Indianapolis 500 festivities.

These advanced gizmos are integrated into the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray by Arrow Electronics, a global provider of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions. The company hopes to roll a mass production version of this gizmo in the following years, developed for both regular and military vehicles.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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