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Sam Schmidt sits in front of his customized Arrow racecar. Before the start of the 2000 Indy Car Series while practicing in Orlando, Florida, Schmidt crashed and was rendered a quadriplegic.
Twenty years after an accident left him paralyzed, former IndyCar racer Sam Schmidt is driving again at speeds up to 192 mph. Arrow engineers modified a Chevrolet Corvette to create a semi-autonomous vehicle that he operates safely and independently with head controls.
- Even though Sam can send the car careening down the track at 100 mph, it still takes a hydraulic hoist and a team of people to get him in and out of the car.
Early in the program, the sensors that control the car were mounted to a black baseball cap that Schmidt wore. These eight white sensors together with a trunk full of unseen technology enable Schmidt to steer the car. He controls speed and braking by blowing into the clear tube.
Arrow staff surrounds Sam Schmidt at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he reached a new top speed of 152 mph.
Outside Sonoma Raceway, a visitor inspired by Sam checks out the SAM car.
Sam signing autographs.
A peek into the trunk of the SAM car. Arrow uses sophisticated computers, GPS technology, cameras and sensors to transform an ordinary Chevy Corvette into the SAM car.
Arrow brought the SAM car to Washington D.C. to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Here, tourists check out the car at the National Mall.
Arrow Electronics CEO Mike Long drops the green flag as the SAM car starts a run up the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Previously, Schmidt drove the Arrow SAM car to the Pikes Peak Summit in 15 minutes and reached a top speed of 80 mph.
Sam controls speed, acceleration and braking with a special breathing tube. Here, he tests the tube before driving at Pikes Peak, Colorado.
An Arrow engineer runs a series of tests before Sam begins the climb at Pikes Peak, Colorado.
Sam talks to the media immediately after his SAM car race at the Indianapolis Raceway with Andretti, the 77-year-old racing legend.
Mario Andretti has a laugh with Sam after the pair staged an exhibition race where they both drove semi-autonomous (SAM) cars in May of 2017.
Sam talks to the media immediately after his SAM car race at the Indianapolis Raceway with Andretti, the 77-year-old racing legend.
NBC Today Show correspondent Harry Smith interviews Sam before jumping in the car for a drive through morning Manhattan traffic.
Sams children were very young when he was injured, so he was never able to drive them in a car like he had hoped  until the morning of August 27, 2017, when Sam took his kids on a tour of Washington D.C. in the Corvette. Here, Sam drives past the U.S. Capital with his daughter Savannah in the co-pilot seat.
I know its simple but being in the passenger seat with my dad is honestly something I never thought would happen-- Savannah Schmidt
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial had special importance to Sam, along with his kids Savannah and Spencer.
The trip to Washington, D.C. was more than just sightseeing for Sam. Here, Sam speaks to technology and policy leaders about how adaptive technologies like the SAM car can improve the lives of our our nations wounded warrior community.
Sam and the team from Arrow traveled to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada, to be part of its air show celebrating Veterans Day. As the sun comes up over the mountains, Grace Doepker, an Arrow engineer, prepares for the hundreds of visitors who will stop by the Arrow Booth to learn about the SAM car.
Sam in a quiet moment before entering the air show.
Sam's daughter Savannah pokes her head into the SAM car to wish him good luck before he drives out.
Sam's wife Sheila helps make everything possible, including a phone call.
Sams wife Sheila takes a family snapshot.