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F1 tech is about to make its way to supermarket fridges
For over four decades, Williams has maintained its reputation as one of the leading names in Formula 1. In years past, illustrious racers including Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve topped drivers' championship leaderboards with help from a Williams car. But with successes now few and far between, the company has looked to its innovation arm, Williams Advanced Engineering, to convert its racing smarts into new technologies in the aerospace, defense and energy sectors.The division has already landed a contract to design the power and data platforms for the British Army's armored vehicles, but it's also spent the better part of a year developing a new way to help supermarkets keep your fresh food cool before you buy it -- and it may soon come to a store near you.
Recommended Reading: Jony Ive tells the story of the Apple Pencil
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Jony Ive Interview: The Story of the Apple Pencil The Telegraph The initial wave of iPad Pro reviews arrived this week, and with them the first impressions from folks using the new Apple Pencil for an extended period of time. The Telegraph spoke with Apple's design guru Sir Jony Ive to get the backstory on the accessory and why habits like sketching don't have to become obsolete.
Formula 1 aerodynamics will make grocery stores more efficient
No, that's not a typo. It turns out Formula 1 racing technology, specifically aerodynamics, can help rid grocery stores of the so-called "cold aisle" issue. Using aerofoils that are designed to guide the direction of air flow around a race car, Williams F1's engineering department and UK start-up Aerofoil Engery aim to keep the cool temps inside the open refrigerators at the market. The aerofoils attach to each shelf, guiding the cold air so that not only is that section more comfy for shoppers, but energy use is reduced as well. In fact, Sainsbury's, the second largest grocery store chain in the UK, is already testing the tech. "This Formula 1 inspired innovation has already shown it can cut carbon produced by major refrigerators," said John Skelton, the retailer's head of refrigeration. The project is still in the testing phase, so if could be a while before its ready for widespread installation.
Elon Musk hires an F1 expert to revolutionize Tesla's pit stops
Elon Musk's new battery swap stations can already refresh a Tesla Model S and put it back on the road in under three minutes, but now he has help in cutting that time to something even shorter. Today the CEO announced Tesla has hired from Formula 1 chief mechanic Kenny Handkammer to "revolutionize servicing mainstream cars." Handkammer won championships with both Michael Shumacher and Sebastian Vettel during his 25 years in racing, and was the chief mechanic of the Red Bull F1 team when it set a world record in 2013 with a pit stop that took just 1.9 seconds -- check after the break for a slow-mo look at a relatively leisurely 2.05 second stop.
Stir's new smart desk is a relative bargain at $2,990
We poke fun at Stir sometimes, but that's mostly because $3,900 is a ridiculous amount of money to pay for a standing desk -- yes, even a "smart" one. But once you get past the sticker shock, it's clear the company is doing some cool things: The existing Kinetic Desk has a sleek design and can learn your sitting and standing habits. (The fact that there are built-in outlets to keep your stuff from falling over is also a plus.) Again, though, four grand is a lot to spend, especially if you're a company looking to issue several of these to your employees. With that in mind, Stir is releasing another desk that's relatively more affordable. Which is to say, it costs $2,990. Still not cheap, exactly, but a thousand-dollar price cut is a start.
What's on your HDTV: 'GTA V', 'State of Affairs', 'Lilyhammer', F1
We meet again. Last year GTA V debuted on on the Xbox 360 and PS3, and now a refreshed version is ready to ship on new-gen consoles (PC ships next year). The PS4 and Xbox One have 1080p, 30fps presentations with a slew of upgrades, you can check out our stream of the X1 version here. Of course, that's not all that's new as Netflix prepares to stream season three of Lilyhammer. Other videogame debuts include Far Cry 4 and WWE 2K15, while Disney is bringing a trio of Studio Ghibli flicks to Blu-ray: Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service and The Wind Rises. The F1 series is coming to a close in AbuDhabi, while Formula E tees up its second race in Putrajaya. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
BBC's Sport apps now deliver real-time F1 notifications
It's been almost six months since the BBC updated its iOS and Android Sport apps to deliver real-time football notifications, giving fans the ability to receive goal updates while on the move. However, football isn't the only sport the Beeb allocates a huge amount of resources to: it also shares live Formula 1 coverage with Sky. In an new update today, the BBC Sport team is giving F1 fans some mobile love by extending push notifications to cover practice, qualifying and results for the remaining F1 races of the 2014 season. Out for the day for the final double-point race in Abu Dhabi at the end of the month? The BBC now has you covered.
Formula 1 is testing a 'virtual safety car'
Safety vehicles are sometimes as dangerous to racing drivers as actual competition -- Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi recently crashed into a recovery tractor sent out for an earlier accident, for instance. They may be less of an unintentional threat if a virtual safety car (VSC) trial at the US Grand Prix pans out. Instead of using a lead car to slow things down during yellow flags, the system relies on dashboard displays that tell racers to stay under a given speed limit; they face penalties if they go over. The technology is only being used in practice sessions this weekend, but the FIA is working with teams to determine just when VSC is viable for honest-to-goodness races.
An F1 racer burning rubber in infrared is trippy
FLIR has just shown a dramatic spectrum of Formula 1 racing you may not have even realized you were missing: full infrared. The company filmed Red Bull's RB8 F1 car doing donuts at the Gamma Racing Day in Assen using its FLIR X6580sc and other infrared cameras. As shown in the video below, the drivers are literally surrounded by flames and heat coming off the tires, engine and exhaust. You can also see the still glowing tracks left by the tires, Back to the Future style, and the hot bits of rubber that flew off. The only thing missing is the smoke, which is a good thing -- as shown by a regular camera, it almost completely covers the car at one point.
The future of Formula 1 could involve AR headsets and farting
What's the next frontier for F1? If these guys get their way, races will be run on intelligent tracks, drivers will wear augmented reality headsets and cars will breathe air for extra thrust. Team Lotus and the energy drink Burn (nope, us neither) have teamed up to produce Human Ignition, a documentary that imagines what Formula 1 could be like in 2022, while also telling you that energy drinks are really rad (it's embedded, in three parts, after the break). One of the concepts offered up was that the driver would wear an AR helmet that showed them the airflows around their vehicle, making it easier to slipstream their rivals. Another would be to have the cars re-shape their gills in motion in order for them to "breathe," drawing in more air and forcing it out for more thrust coming out of a bend. After which, the designers thought about how those jets could be used to create "dirty wind," channeling the airflow to prevent your rivals from slipstreaming you. Nasty. [Image credit: Burn]
Must See HDTV for the week of March 10th: Cosmos, Vice, F1 and Titanfall
After omitting Cosmos from the listings last week, we can only offer our deepest apologies. The premiere episode Sunday night wowed us with its display of the universe at large, and we highly recommend checking out this week's episode (the premiere is available either tonight at 10PM on National Geographic or online right here). Other than that, have you seen Titanfall? Assuming you're not diving deep into the new PC / Xbox One game, we'd also keep an eye out for the second season of Vice Magazine's show on HBO premiering this Friday, and the return of F1 racing. The Australian GP will air live on NBC Sports at 2AM Sunday morning, so arrange your schedules accordingly. Check after the break for trailers plus our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and gaming.
Making 'the best driver's car in the world': A closer look at McLaren's P1 hypercar
McLaren's base of operations for both car development and production lies a few minutes outside of Woking, an unassuming mid-sized town in the middle of the UK. The low-rise, stylish facilities appear from nowhere, and as I sit inside a company car, waiting to get waved through one of many security checkpoints, it dawns on me that the entire complex looks like a work of science fiction. The combination of keycards, white anonymous corridors and multiple lifts that follow add to the top-secret atmosphere. Imagine somewhere between Portal and Men In Black and you're about there. There's a "no cameras inside" rule, as development for future cars, not to mention continuous improvements to its F1 race cars, are progressing in rooms nearby. Following a protracted series of teasers, leaks and its eventual official reveal last year, it's the company's P1 that I'm here to take a closer look at (with or without a camera). McLaren is pitching its "hypercar" as a step above your typical supercar, with an unprecedented focus on engineering, design, materials and black carbon-fiber paneling so tight you could see the car's veins, if it had any. When you see the vehicle in real life, those black accents on the doors and bumper are made even more eye-catching by the signature McLaren yellow that surrounds them. That muscular body also encases the company's new petrol-electric V8 engine, one that's capable of running on charge alone. The P1 is one of several high-end, high-performance supercars that are going hybrid, and its electric motor is integrated to the primary motor to augment the overall driving performance. It should drive better because it's a hybrid, not despite it. If you factor in the tech drip-down from McLaren's Formula One arm, encompassing the car's structure, design, brakes and engine, you start to see exactly what McLaren's offering for that $1.3 million price tag.
F1 Challenge launches on iOS with more than 90 events
iOS continues to grow as a game platform every day, with new titles and better-looking graphics constantly popping up. The latest beneficiaries of this growing game environment are Formula One fans thanks to the release of F1 Challenge, an officially licensed racing sim. Featuring more than 90 challenges, each inspired by moments from the 2012 racing season, F1 Challenge offers racing fans plenty of content for its US$2.99 price tag. Racers can also compete in time trials, race events and short Grand Prix events featuring 12 cars at a time and more. The controls are even adjustable for both right- and left-handed players. Players will be racing against the full lineup of drivers from the 2012 season, including Scuderia Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes' Jenson Button and Lotus F1 Team's Kimi Räikkönen. F1 Challenge is available now in the app store.
F1 Challenge races to iOS
Codemasters launched a new Formula One racing game on iPhone and iPad today called F1 Challenge. For $2.99 (£1.99 in the UK), players can engage in 90 racing events with officially-licensed F1 drivers, cars and teams. Players are also given the opportunity to "recreate thrilling moments from the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship," such as out-pacing racers like Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton in order to unlock Formula One facts and information. F1 Challenge features a top-down, isometric view with simple touch controls for steering and Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) speed boosts that can be optimized for left or right-handed players.
Costco UK selling full-size F1 simulator for just £90,000
Costco UK is selling an FMCG International F1 racing simulator for £89,999.89 (including delivery and installation!), or $138,338.83, which is still significantly cheaper than owning an actual Formula 1 car. We also assume it's probably a tiny bit safer and easier to maintain, but that's just a hunch. The body is available in "your own choice of colour" and is made out of various combinations of composite materials, alloys and carbon fiber, with real wheels, tyres, chromed-out exhaust tips and everything. There's no engine or transmission, obviously, but it does come with one of those totally awesome detachable steering wheels. The gaming portion of the rig is powered by an Intel Core i7, an SSD of unknown capacity, 16 gigs of RAM and a non-specified graphics card outputting to three 23-inch adjustable TFT monitors. Meanwhile, sweet jams are pumped through a 5.1 audio system into both the car's body and your body, since the subwoofer is located directly behind the driver's seat.
Sky broadcasts Barcelona Grand Prix testing in 3D, we go take a look
Geeks who are into fast cars and stereoscopic displays must think that watching F1 races in 3D is the bees-knees. However, FIA, the sport's governing body, has often been resistant to new technology -- only adopting HD a few years ago. That's why when the FIA asked Sky to produce a test-broadcast of the practice testing laps in the run up to the Barcelona Grand Prix, the British broadcaster jumped at the chance. Naturally, BSkyB wanted to show off its technical marvel, and so invited us to come and see what it was like. Of course, like the good geeks that we are, our attention was focused on keeping Sky's chief engineer Chris Johns in a corner and needling him with questions. Curious to find out what he said (apart from "please go away," of course)? After the break is where all the cool kids are at.
Sky will broadcast final preseason F1 tests in 3D to UK viewers
In a move it's calling a world's first, Sky Sports has announced that parts of Formula 1's final preseason tests from Circuit de Catalunya will be broadcast on its 3D network. While F1 has tested the use of 3D before, it's never been broadcast and chief Bernie Ecclestone -- who you'll remember fiddled for years as F1 stuck with widescreen standard definition video presentations before it made the jump in 2011 -- has previously said 3D will never be used. Sky Sports referred to the event as a one-off, while commentator Martin Brundle is quoted in the press release calling it a "special moment for F1 fans...a new immersive experience for viewers. While Ecclestone may not be willing to push the envelope in broadcast tech, having Sky as a broadcast partner could force the issue as it justifies its exclusive access and dedicated broadcast channel. Last season the network upgraded the audio to Dolby 5.1 and added features like the Race Control view in its iPad app. Sky has previously featured sporting events on its 3D channel like Ryder Cup golf, Premier League and of course the 2012 Olympics. It says F1 will be the 14th sport it's delivered in 3D, although we'll have to wait until after this maiden test from February 28th to March 3rd -- it will also be available in 2D HD on the regular F1 channel -- to see if it becomes a regular fixture. Now, about those HD on-board cameras....
Formula 1's on-board cameras may switch to HD next season
As we enjoy our first F1 action in the US since 2007 we're glad that it's in HD this time, however it still falling short in one area -- in-car camera shots. Although the racing series belatedly made the jump to high definition broadcasts last year, protests from the teams over weight and space issues caused it to stick with standard-definition cameras for the on-board shots. Now that a couple of years have passed and presumably the technology has improved, that may be addressed next year, at the same time US broadcasts of the series move from Speed/Fox to NBC Sports. Formula One Supporters Association caught up to F1 journalist Christian Sylt who got a peek at future plans that include the possibility of HD in-car cameras, multi-channel formats offering different views of the track and an interactive 3D replay feature. We'll have to wait and see how much -- if any -- of that is actually implemented any time soon, but if you'd like to check out the technology in use today, Speed TV has a live stream from several of the cars currently racing around the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
Sky Sports iPad app, Sky Go for iOS and Android refreshed with more content and features
BSkyB has been busy pushing updates to several of its apps, starting with the Sky Go player. On both iOS and Android, the big new addition is access to Anytime+ video on demand from the Movies and Entertainment category, covering Sky1, Sky Living, Sky Atlantic and Sky Arts 1. On Android, v2.0 of Sky Go brings the ability to manage ones account directly via the app, move the app to the SD card and other bug fixes. What it does not do, yet, is expand the (short) list of compatible devices, although the listing promises Ice Cream Sandwich support later this month. Meanwhile, the Sky Sports app for iPad has a new update too, adding a guide, split screen view for F1 races and the ability to remotely set recordings and reminders from the tablet. All the updates are available at their respective app stores, the links can be found below. Update (7/5): Sky has pushed out a press release for the Android update, and other than confirming the ICS compatibility update by the end of July, it also mentions support for more devices. The only two mentioned specifically are the Samsung Galaxy Note and Galaxy Nexus, you can see the release for yourself after the break.
Visualized: the history of the Formula 1 car in 60 seconds (video)
Formula 1 car technology has come a long way since it first hit the asphalt banks 62 years ago. It's been hard to convey the sheer amount of change in a succinct way, but Rufus Blacklock may have nailed it in exactly one minute. Abstract versions of the cars show us the progression from the bullet-shaped cars of the 1950's through to the low-slung, wing-laden beasts we know today. If the clip is a little too F1-fast, there's also an infographic that details exactly when certain technology changes came into play, starting with the first wings in 1968 through to modern (and at times controversial) introductions like KERS in 2009. Click past the break for the video, and check out the relevant source link for a quite literal big picture.
