Centennial, Colo., October 23, 2026 /3BL/ – When former IndyCar driver Sam Schmidt was left paralyzed after a crash in 2000, he assumed his racing career was over.
“I crashed, backed into the wall and just disintegrated my C3, C4, and C5 vertebrae,” said Schmidt. “I was paralyzed from the neck down. You know, that was that.”
But Schmidt’s story shifted when Arrow Electronics reached out in 2013, asking if he would consider getting back behind the wheel in a vehicle powered by semi-autonomous technology. The collaboration between Arrow and Schmidt resulted in the Arrow SAM (semi-autonomous motorcar) Car Project, which modifies performance cars with electronic interfaces to allow Schmidt to drive at racetrack speeds using head movements and breath and voice commands.
Schmidt’s return to racing is chronicled in a new film produced for Arrow by BBC StoryWorks. The film, “Getting back on the racetrack,” is part of the original content series All In, which highlights how technology is helping improve accessibility for disabled people.
Since the SAM Car Project launched, Schmidt has driven these uniquely equipped race cars in dozens of high-speed demonstrations, including at the Indy 500, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, and the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England.
“This guy is not afraid of anything, said Arrow Principal Field Applications Engineer Stephen Harper of Schmidt. “Like, you get in the car and he's six inches from the wall at 200 miles an hour.”
Schmidt drives the car – currently a 2021 McLaren 720S Spyder – using head motions for steering, sip-and-puff assistive technology for acceleration and braking and additional voice controls.
Arrow has evolved the car as Schmidt’s skills and technology have improved. The most recent advancements include a new AI steering system (built on the NVIDIA Jetson Orin platform) and a redesign of the sip-and-puff controller that operates the throttle and brakes. Powered by Edge AI, which integrates artificial intelligence with edge computing, the new steering system can process Schmidt’s head movements in real time and adjust the steering angle automatically and incredibly quickly – within a few thousandths of a second. This enables a faster and more responsive driving experience.
“I'm controlling the brakes, I'm controlling the gas, and it's all on me, and it's completely changed my life. It's amazing,” said Schmidt.
The integration of edge AI shows how Arrow has turned the SAM Car Project into an engineering platform for new technology, with applicability far beyond the racetrack.
“If we can do this in a race car, we can do this in just about anything - wheelchairs, autonomous machines, tractors and farming, trucking,” said Harper.
About Arrow Electronics
Arrow Electronics (NYSE:ARW) sources and engineers technology solutions for thousands of leading manufacturers and service providers. With 2025 sales of $31 billion, Arrow’s portfolio enables technology across major industries and markets. Learn more at www.arrow.com/company.
About All In
All In is an original content series presented by The Valuable 500 and produced by BBC StoryWorks. The series brings together stories from across industries, including health, technology, arts and culture, and consumer goods, to explore more inclusive innovation, accessibility by design and productive partnerships in business. The series is hosted at www.allinthevaluable500.com and distributed across BBC.com and BBC StoryWorks’ social platforms.
