Quadriplegic Cracks 150 MPH in Autonomous C7 Corvette Z06

By Detroit Steel - June 7, 2016

sam-schmidt-semi-autonomous-corvette-1

As a Corvette fan, if this doesn’t put a smile on your face, my guess is that nothing will.

Sure, we’ve already covered the story of former IndyCar racer Sam Schmidt, a quadriplegic taking the wheel of an autonomous C7. But knowing that he recently hit a speed of 152 mph in a modified version of Arrow’s Z06 is the kind of boost that we all could use from time to time.

To put it in perspective, that’s 45 mph faster than Schmidt’s previous record in the modified C7, as highlighted in a Giz Mag report. The Z06 now features a number of new upgrades since Schmidt first became a spokesperson of sorts for the Arrow Corvette campaign.

One of the biggest enhancements is a new headset that works with the infrared camera system that more accurately translates head movement into control inputs. The engineers have also added live-streaming, driver biometrics, and environmental conditions to better monitor things from pit lane.