“Now it’s time for the magic…” said Samir Abou Samra, Chief Technology Officer, DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore, in his rousing introductory message about the power of software at a presentation which was held at the institution’s Pixel Building @ One-North campus on 18 September.
DigiPen Institute of Technology Singapore
It did not take long for Samir’s keynote on how human intelligence may be augmented through the use of computer software to whet the participants’ appetite for the event’s mainstay: a demonstration of the Alpine simulation software by F1 Lotus race strategist Iñaki Rueda. Alpine, which was developed by DigiPen, is an important component of Lotus’s race strategy in optimising the performance of the Lotus team at the Formula One Grand Prix.
Rueda, who was in town for the three-day Formula One Singapore Grand Prix from 18 – 20 September, presented to the roomful of techies several videos illustrating the power of the simulation software. During the demo, the race strategist showed how Alpine facilitates the use of weather data systems, which allow one to predict how long rain will last or which tyre types are most conducive to optimal race performance under various weather conditions. Rueda also explained how the simulation software enables the assessment of race car performances through comparative performance analyses between different cars and in between laps.
Formula One Singapore Grand Prix
The premise for the event was finally distilled and presented succinctly as a question by Samir, providing food for thought to those in attendance: “How can we convert thousands of data and put them onto one screen in a way that the racer or race manager can receive and understand this magnitude of information at a single glance?”
The question which however drew the strongest reactions – and applause – was one addressed to Rueda later as a side note: “How does one get into Formula One?”
To which he replied, “The possibilities are endless!”