When literally aiming for the stars, the lofty goal to land on the moon involved technology that had not even been invented in the early 1960’s. Absolutely determined to reach their goal, NASA was sent into a frenzy of invention. These inventions would later span out into objects we depend on in our everyday lives. For instance, the lightweight and reflective emergency blanket rescuers use to cover a victim to prevent hypothermia is thanks to NASA’s search for proper spacesuit materials. Formula 1 has also been making equally important contributions to enhance our everyday lives with countless spinoffs from breakthroughs in motorsport. Many may not even be aware of how much we have benefitted from the world of race cars. – be it battery packs or lightweight structures.
Two model companies
The profile of a team member inside F1 is that of a dedicated person with engineering know-how and a restlessness to push the limits as we know them. Some may even go as far as to say that it is a cutthroat industry. It goes without saying that one is expected to be up to date on the latest advances in technology, but it is even better if you are its creator. At the same time, a person participating on an F1 team must have a superb eye for detail and an open mind to see new possibilities. When all these attributes are highly concentrated in all who contribute in this field, it is only natural that the same creative and scientific-minded individuals give off the air of visionaries. It is only a matter of time before they figure out how these amazing breakthroughs made in motorsport can translate into valuable technology in other sectors.
McLaren is one of those teams that has successfully sprawled from motorsport into other fields, namely healthcare. It is thanks to filling a need to communicate data in real time from the car to the mechanical team. However, sensors were forbidden so McLaren came up with processing algorithms for units on board race cars. This same technology is now also applied in wearable technology that provides information to healthcare workers so they can monitor patients at risk of certain illnesses. It has also found use for collecting data to improve the performance of elite athletes or even assist with air traffic control.
Another well-known team that has been clever enough to exploit their know-how originally designated for F1 motorsport is Williams. Bear in mind, however, that transferring knowledge is not limited to tangible technology. Process is another admirable peculiarity that is worth propagating for the benefit of others. Since F1 is all about speed and reducing time, the Williams team has developed a truly efficient process for all necessary pit stops, whether to change a tire or fuel up. One could say that they are an authority on moving swiftly behind the scenes. This is what attracted neonatal specialists to enquire and consult with Williams. They wished to apply Williams’ organization, process, and pace to another crucial moment when time is of the essence – while resuscitating newborns.
Bold's own spinoffs
Bold Valuable Tech, a company which got its start working within F1, has that quintessential F1 spirit. While honing our skills on custom battery packs and lightweight structures to meet the competitive demands of motorsport, we too have been branching out into other fields. We can see nothing but possibilities to apply our know-how, technology and processes in a useful way in an array of sectors. There is no doubt that high-performing batteries can be a must-have outside of motorsport. Our custom-made battery packs can easily cross over into Marine use, for example. There is nothing stopping us from delivering the right battery to supply energy to an automatic pilot system on a long-haul across the Atlantic.
Race cars are not the only structures that come out ahead by revamping old, heavier components to a lighter composite material with equal weight bearing thresholds. And naturally, F1 does not have a monopoly on material-saving, time-sparing simulation tests and tooling. Bold believes these advantages should be made available to all domains of business. For all this we name the markets we do on our website. We welcome new partners from these sectors to reap the benefits and develop added value solutions with us.
As an example of Bold’s transference of knowledge that originated as a project for an F1 project is how we applied our advanced capacities for simulation testing and tooling. This skill initially built up for F1 had branched into industry. The same simulation testing on a lightweight structure that our motorsport work undergoes became an economical solution for one of our industry partners. The testing allowed us to go on to create tooling for a major component in an automated line of production, reducing the time needed to create the part and handing over more power into our client’s hands. The component weight reduction went from 22,7 kg in aluminum to 5,5 kg by the adoption of composite materials. At the same time the payload capacity went up by 50%.
Another way in which Bold breaks down the barriers of functional fixedness can be exemplified in the case of employing our composite material skills combined with 3D printing. In this project Bold demonstrated that we can turn around parts in a matter of days for an industrial pick and place end effector. This includes making tooling and the component. The result was a stronger part, vacuum-tight and lighter than using metals or plastics. Originally, the desired result of updating a design that is much heavier to being replaced by lightweight materials in F1 is to decrease drag and increase the speed. Manufacturing lines can also soak up greater rewards by decreasing the time it takes for a component to move. Logically, our ability to replace heavy metal components with a lighter and swifter one made of composite materials would spell success in this market as well. In a domino effect, there is also less wear and tear on neighboring parts to move this structure which otherwise would have required more frequent maintenance and so on. Just one change can lead to less issues with industrial processes and thus, churn out a greater volume of finished products on the manufacturing line.
Open minds
It is hard to think of an industry that cannot benefit from accurate and resource-sparing simulation testing. It would almost be selling ourselves short if we exclude other markets from attaining long-lasting and tailor-made lightweight structures to minimize the power spent on actuating unnecessarily heavy parts. Bold has an inclusive vision of our client portfolio which can be likened to the many aspiring minds working passionately in F1.