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McLaren Applied Technologies’ All-Electric, AI-Infused Vision of Formula 1 Racing

(Image source: McLaren Applied Technologies)

McLaren Applied Technologies  of Woking, United Kingdom unveiled their “MCLExtreme” (MCLE) vision for the future of grand prix racing. While McLaren Applied Technologies believes that the 2050 Formula 1 World Championship will still feature open-wheel, rear wheel drive cars with humans in the cockpit, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality, autonomous functions, and electric propulsion will play major roles.

(Image source: McLaren Applied Technologies)

The MCLE concept is a 500 kilometers per hour (310 miles per hour), inductively charged, electric vehicle with shapeshifting active aerodynamic body panels and an on-board AI co-pilot that could learn and predict driver preferences and provide real-time updates via holographic heads-up displays. Much like simulation, big data, and material science, McLaren Applied Technologies sees racing as a potential incubator for the development of AI.

“In the future we could get to the point where human ingenuity is replaced with an AI algorithm,” explains Karl Surmacz, head of modelling and decision science at McLaren Applied Technologies. “Machine learning would see human preferences and decisions, as well as our domain expertise and instinct, captured. Take enough examples of our creative processes and outcomes, and this could be codified into an algorithm which would enable AI to make creative decisions consistent with those of a human counterpart.”

(Image source: McLaren Applied Technologies)
SAE Standards News: J3016 automated-driving graphic update

Through wearable technology and symbiotic links, the AI could even react the driver’s mood and emotional state, to tailor advice based on the physiological and psychological feedback. Embedded sensors and driver monitoring could also tie into a new level of audience interactivity through two-way, audience and driver “sentiment projection,” mood-based, color-shifting vehicle bodywork; and e-sports integration with virtual drivers scouting and relaying information to the driver and AI co-pilot.

Electric Formula 1

(Image source: McLaren Applied Technologies)

With the understanding that governments around the world are pushing to adopt zero-emission vehicles, McLaren Applied Technologies believes that by 2050, grand prix racing will be all-electric. The company suggests that a car with a small electric motor married to a flexible, high-density battery, with the potential to be molded into the aerodynamic form of the bodywork, would provide the best propulsion framework. Charging technology may even become a drag reduction system-replacement: within a defined window, the car may be able to steal energy from the one ahead, which would present new strategic challenges. According to McLaren Applied Technologies, complexity will lie in storing the energy, as opposed to turning the energy into motion which is currently the case. Based on the company’s research regarding Formula E powertrains, energy storage mechanisms will develop in breadth and depth as many development paths are explored, with cumbersome plug-in power to be a short-term solution.

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McLaren Applied Technologies engineers believe the MCLE cars will charge wirelessly, absorbing power from the ground via inductive resonant coupling. Motorsport is the perfect proving ground to prepare this technology for road use.

"Whether it will be possible in 2050 to fully charge the battery of a grand prix car from flat in less time than it takes a current Formula 1 car to complete a flying lap around the streets of Monaco is difficult to say at this stage," posits Stephen Lambert, head of automotive electrification at McLaren Applied Technologies. "But charging about 10 to 50% of the battery in around 10 to 30 seconds is conceivable.”

"Charging wirelessly sees electromagnetic induction used to transfer energy through an air gap from one magnetic coil buried under the track to a second magnetic coil fitted to the car," Lambert explains.

"When the car is sufficiently positioned for the coils to be aligned, it will induce a current in the car’s coil which feeds into the battery."

The MCLE concept includes a myriad of other designs:

  • Black out zones where drivers lose AI support and comms with the team
  • Reinvented grandstands that incorporate sections of glass-walled, or even glass-roofed track, allowing spectators to stand next to or on top of the track
  • Race suit that adopt g-suit technology from fighter aircraft to mitigate blood rush to driver extremities under increased g-loading while braking and when cornering
  • Transparent cockpits to highlight steering wheel movement and driver footwork
  • Tires made of a self-repairing composite
  • Longer and wider circuits with aggressively banked turns to increase the course’s dynamics while decreasing its footprint in urban areas

William Kucinski  is content editor at SAE International, Aerospace Products Group in Warrendale, Pa. Previously, he worked as a writer at the NASA Safety Center in Cleveland, Ohio and was responsible for writing the agency’s System Failure Case Studies. His interests include literally anything that has to do with space, past and present military aircraft, and propulsion technology.

Contact him regarding any article or collaboration ideas by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Topics:
Aircraft Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) Augmented / virtual reality Avionics Batteries Batteries Battery packs Bodies and Structures Body panels Body structures Connectivity Data Acquisition Data acquisition and handling Data exchange Displays Displays/Monitors/HMIs Electrical systems Electrification Electronics Energy Storage Energy storage systems Exteriors Green Design & Manufacturing Head-up displays Human machine interface (HMI) Industrial Design and Human Factors Navigation and guidance systems Off-board vehicle charging systems Product Development Propulsion Real-time data Remote sensing Sensors Sensors and actuators Sustainable development Tires Vehicle charging

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    Transcript

    00:00:04 we wanted to create a version of f1 could come to exist and use it to discuss the kind of future that people want all of this allowed us to create a hypothesis that embodied market direction and people's hopes for the future of motorsport we spent time with funds with drivers raced rottenness and engineers when we spent time analyzing technological and market trends together

    00:00:28 we created a vision for Formula one in 2050 [Applause] to really explore the future of motorsport it wasn't enough to design another concept car we wanted to explore a vision that captured the fans experience to how a track would develop how the cars will be powered and had the driver would feel we sought out experts

    00:01:10 throughout McLaren to understand more of race strategy powertrain battery technology aerodynamics marketing and other key elements that go into running an f1 team what really came through in all this was the passion emotion and story of human endeavor we found people armed with stories of Senna hacking in or Hamilton's finest moments when we spent time with the drivers it was clear

    00:01:31 that their viewpoint and what they feel during a race would become integral to the story we also spent times with fans digging deeper to understand the value they derived from f1 their memories relationships and sport and their hopes for the future it was clear that fans won to the sports evolve they want the sport to grow to include new people places and culture it was eye-opening

    00:01:52 and exciting to spend time with people who are so passionate about the sport and its role to see the extremes they go to to get as close as possible to racing we looked on with markets and gathered political economic environmental societal and Technology news we will see increased legislation and investments in green energy and environments due to new regulations from

    00:02:15 this analysis were able to uncover signals of where these markets might be heading in the future [Music] our research gave us some unique first-hand insight into the psyche of a Formula one fund and their deep personal relationship with the sport we learned that funds and other enthusiasts sought purity from the sport and above all else

    00:02:40 they had a strong belief that racing is human at its core a sport of passion and one that epitomizes the limits of human endeavor this and other learnings became signals of possible directions and painted a picture of the pressures challenges and opportunities for sport in 2050 we captured these as a set of hypothetical scenarios for example one was faced with increasing symbiosis of

    00:03:04 man and machine automation and artificial intelligence in 2050 what a Formula One celebrated the role of the driver [Music] working alongside a new generation of mobility designers and material future student we envisioned how Formula One might respond to these scenarios we then synthesized a huge range of

    00:03:34 possibilities down to a single set of concept to develop the car that was founded on technical insight from aerodynamics powertrain and other areas alongside exploring how fans could experience the spectacle of Formula One for example we design our cockpit around showcasing the driver to fans it included a visualization of tribal emotion by highlighting emotions such as

    00:04:09 frustration while defending their position we can bring fans closer to the experience however to really highlight the story of endeavour we wanted to call a step further we wanted to actuate performance features of the car based on driver cognition physiological data and emotion effectively making the driver the central nervous system of the car by

    00:04:41 plugging them in the resulting concept means that when the driver is psyching themselves for an overtake active arrow on the car does the same it hunkers down rings forth back and the side part stuck in creating a streamlined dot that can fly past drivers [Music] our design concept is the MCL II an electric car designed around giving the

    00:05:22 fans a stake in a spectacle by exposing them to the drivers skills and ever and emotions our vision is to take the human machine interface to the extreme on the machine side it is about embracing the zero-emission journey with no compromise on power efficiency and driving experience we do hope motorsport will evolve in order to increase the accessibility to new people new places

    00:05:54 and new cultures and we will work together with our engineers to develop the technology to get the fans closer and closer to the race event and to the spectacle and we believe we no doubt that there are many possible futures for motorsport what do you think [Music] [Music]

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