QATAR: British Formula One racing team, Williams, is adapting its state-of-the-art racing technology for the gaming and conventional auto industries

Record ID: 513399

  • Title: QATAR: British Formula One racing team, Williams, is adapting its state-of-the-art racing technology for the gaming and conventional auto industries
  • Date: 24th February 2011
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITES) (English) DAMIEN SCOTT, WILLIAMS TECHNOLOGY CENTRE SAYING: "We are looking at two programs to take technology out of F1, the first is vehicle simulators which are very very high fidelity and have ability to help improve roads safety from training to certification down point, very strong commercial applications to improve the quality of drivers and also in the
  • Embargoed: 11th March 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Qatar, Qatar
  • Country: Qatar
  • Topics: Industry,Science / Technology
  • Reuters ID: LVA3HBQS79M9228YR58YN5C971BW
  • Story Text: Williams have become the first Formula One team to move a technolgy spin-off centre outside Europe, choosing the Qatar Science and Technology Park to base its efforts to transfer F1 race technology to industry.
    The team are focusing early efforts on their driving simulator system, which could be used commercially for road car training, safety and entertainment, as well as competition simulators for other motorsport series, according to the Williams Technical Centre general manager, Damien Scott.
    "Vehicle simulators which are very very high fidelity and have ability to help improve roads safety from training to certification down point, very strong commercial applications to improve the quality of drivers and also in the entertainment to invite the next generation of very high fidelity entertainment," Scott said.
    They are also looking to develop new applications for their flywheel system which can store and release energy very quickly, making it suitable for a variety of applications, including recycling the kinetic energy of buses, trains and trams.
    "The second project is to take very high speed composite flywheel energy storage system which was originally developed in Formula 1 for hybrid vehicles and apply that to much larger applications in particular rails systems from metros to people movers to inter-city rail and also renewable energy applications," said Scott.
    The company is in talks with Doha Metro to develop a variation of the flywheel storage system for its rail network.
    The system uses a rotor spinning at high speed to collect energy which it then releases in the form of electricity. Williams says that in racing cars, it is clean, efficient and relatively inexpensive and could easily be applied to much larger transportation systems.
    It wouldn't be the first time that Formula One technology has been adapted for the street. Tortion control, aerodynamics, tyre and braking designs all have their origins at the race track. From their base in Doha, Williams wants to be at the forefront for the next generation.
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