One of the world s most dangerous sports, auto racing has a history littered with spectacular and deadly crashes . Today, a high-tech range of safety gears has evolved to separate victory from disaster. The racers may get all the glory, but they would never venture behind the wheel without the specialists who strive to ensure their safety. From tires to roll cages to hood flaps, this documentary examines the incredible technology that s helping to prevent crashes and enabling drivers to survive the wrecks that they can t avoid. Auto experts trace the history of racing safety and illuminate how today s most innovative minds digitally reconstruct crashes, facilitating a continual flow of newer and better equipment. Using vintage racing clips and detailed mechanical explanations, this documentary profiles the people and technology that allow drivers to push the limits of speed and fuel the world s passion for racing. Racetrack memory (or domain-wall memory (DWM)) is an experimental non-volatile memory device under development at IBM's Almaden Research Center by a team led by Stuart Parkin. In early 2008, a 3-bit version was successfully demonstrated. If it is developed successfully, racetrack would offer storage density higher than comparable solid-state memory devices like flash memory and similar to conventional disk drives, and also have much higher read/write performance. It is one of a number of new technologies trying to become a universal memory in the future. Racetrack memory uses a spin-coherent electric current to move magnetic domains along a nanoscopic permalloy wire. A racetrack memory device is made up of many such wires and read/write elements. In general operational concept, racetrack memory is similar to the earlier bubble memory of the 1960s and 1970s. Delay line memory, such as mercury delay lines of the 1940s and 1950s, are a still-earlier form of similar technology, as used in the UNIVAC and EDSAC computers. Like bubble memory, racetrack memory uses electrical currents to "push" a magnetic pattern through a substrate. Dramatic improvements in magnetic detection capabilities, based on the development of spintronic magnetoresistive-sensing materials and devices, allow the use of much smaller magnetic domains to provide far higher bit densities. In production, it is expected that the wires can be scaled down to around 50 nm. There are two ways to arrange racetrack memory. The simplest is a series of flat wires arranged in a grid with read and write heads arranged nearby. A more widely studied arrangement uses U-shaped wires arranged vertically over a grid of read/write heads on an underlying substrate. This allows the wires to be much longer without increasing its 2D area, although the need to move individual domains further along the wires before they reach the read/write heads results in slower random access times. This does not present a real performance bottleneck; both arrangements offer about the same throughput. Thus the primary concern in terms of construction is practical; whether or not the 3D vertical arrangement is feasible to mass produce. Safety has not always been a paramount concern in Formula One racing, and there have been many tragedies -- both for drivers and spectators. In the last few decades, however, much has been done to protect racers and their fans from serious injury. Let's look at some of the key safety measures used in Formula One. The monocoque (cockpit) incorporates the driver's survival cell -- a superstrong part of the car designed to stay intact and form a protective cocoon around the driver in the event of an accident. The survival cell includes the seat, which is designed to fit a driver's exact dimensions. The seat must be positioned low enough that the driver's head does not stick out too far and get crushed if the car rolls over. The driver's overalls, when combined with boots, gloves and helmet, form a complete and seamless barrier. Made from a synthetic fiber known as Nomex, Formula One overalls are designed to protect drivers from a fire for at least 12 seconds, the time it should take medical and rescue personnel to reach an accident. The sponsor logos that appear on the overalls must also be made from this fire-resistant material. The Head and Neck Support System (HANS) is a carbon-fiber collar that fits around a driver's neck and restrains his head and neck in the event of a crash or collision. The HANS connects loosely to the helmet via three straps, allowing free movement of the head yet helping to control helmet deflection during frontal impact. A five-point harness secures a driver to his seat. The five "points" refer to the five straps that make up the harness: one over each of the driver's shoulders, one on each side and one that comes up between the legs. All of the straps connect to a central buckle, which is locked for the race. There is a quick-release mechanism so a driver can get out of the car quickly in an emergency.

• published: 21 Jul 2014
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