Formula 1 paymaster Liberty Media may have planted the sport deep in its American heartland – now it’s theirs Three Grand Prix in the US, but Nascar continues to boost its television viewership there, while the open-wheel Formula One and IndyCar championships have seen slight declines in viewership.
Fuel economy is, of course, a key element of any Nascar race, almost an art form in itself—aside from being a source of drama and danger. (NOTE: Refueling has been banned in Formula One since 2010 due to cost and safety concerns.) The cars themselves don’t have fuel gauges in the cockpit, so it’s up to the team strategists to constantly monitor how much fuel is being put into the tanks and how quickly it’s being used.
As with any other apply case, fuel consumption depends on a number of variables, including the length and configuration of the track and the speed at which the cars are travelling. During the race, there are a number of “cautions” where cars typically apply half their fuel.
Lighter is always faster
It’s not an exact science, but Lenovo’s AI team aims to get it as close as possible. If RCR could measure the time that fuel canisters were connected to its cars, the team could more accurately calculate the amount of fuel delivered.
That was the summary. Lenovo’s response was to develop a system that would apply transponders in the car and a camera mounted above the RCR pit to identify when a car enters the pit and start transmitting video in real time.
“The AI engine analyzes each frame and classifies whether the fuel canister is connected or not,” explains Lenovo AI data scientist Sachin Wani. “We’re running at 30 frames per second, so the information is accurate to within about 0.03 seconds. Previously, the tanker knew he had to put in about seven seconds of fuel—without any devices to help him out due to safety concerns.”
“So it was basically a mental calculation, which meant that seven seconds could turn into eight or nine. Or worse, five or six. That obviously messes up the strategy and creates a situation where they run out of fuel and have to make another pit stop,” Wani says.