The BLOODHOUND Super Sonic Car (SSC): is this UK open innovation at its best?
10/11/2013
The Cambridge Network Team again excelled in delivering a network evening based on the more ‘unusual’, in this case the BLOODHOUND Project. It was great to meet such a variety of people from completely different sectors of the Cambridge Scene but all with a common interest: a fascination of the technology and engineering behind the development of a land vehicle which will exceed 1000mph. Yes, that’s right, “exceed 1000mph”!
This was an occasion to celebrate the fact that we are British and that actually, we’re quite good at doing this kind of thing. All too often British reserve means that we quietly go about our business even when we’re working on something which is a fantastic feat of engineering and could be life-changing. Well, listening to the presenters last Thursday night was like a ‘breath of fresh air’: their enthusiasm and passion was inspiring and definitely got the heart pumping!
So a few interesting facts:
Greer Deal, Director of GRS, asked if the technology being developed has been, or will be translated into everyday life. John Frankham, Technical Lead at Cosworth (providing the engine) responded that some of their technology is already in high end road cars and it is likely that this will continue. Tony Parraman, Head of Sponsor Liaison of BLOODHOUND, confirmed that this project is an Open Data project and therefore, any company or individual can view and use the data and information created to develop new or existing technologies. The example he provided was the onboard engine health monitoring system which could be used to monitor anything, for example, blood flow. So could this technology translate into a future diagnostic device?
Okay, so some of you may be saying “What’s the point of building the fastest land car? Why bother?” Well, if you look at their key objectives, perhaps you’ll understand. These are listed in order below:
The emphasis is on education and open data first and foremost. This is why the project is worth bothering about and if any of this can translate into providing quality healthcare, well that will be a bonus.
Author: Greer Deal, Director of Global Regulatory Services