Swabian Mechatronics Engineer Reinvents the (Steering) Wheel!

Fail-safe by-wire systems are revolutionizing the automotive industry. With his multi-redundant drive-by- wire technology, young entrepreneur Kevin Arnold is paving the way for the safe autonomous driving of the future. In motorsport, Arnold NextG GmbH finds the ideal environment to develop and approve data and technology in the shortest time. The initial deployments will be during the final season races of GTC Race and ADAC GT Masters. One of the cockpits will remain in the hands of the family.

Kevin Arnold, CEO of Arnold NextG, concluded his active motorsport career in 2018. However, as an entrepreneur and former champion of today's GT60 powered by Pirelli, he is still all about speed. The focus is no longer on trophies and best times but nothing less than revolutionizing the automotive industry. With the multi-redundant drive-by-wire technology NX NextMotion, which requires no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the road, Kevin Arnold and his company Arnold NextG are not only reinventing the (steering) wheel but also laying the foundation for the safe autonomous driving of the future.

Defining the requirements for tomorrow's technology

Motorsport as a development accelerator works for established conglomerates as well as for ambitious technology speedboats like Arnold NextG. "Motorsport as the industry's workshop is the ideal development environment for us to confirm the performance and reliability of our technology under the most challenging conditions. The data we are already aggregating is the basic requirement for the next generation of our by-wire technology, with a focus on autonomous driving at Level 4/5," emphasizes Kevin Arnold, CEO of Arnold NextG, regarding the role of motorsport. "This not only lays the foundation for the safe mobility of the future but also defines the requirements for tomorrow's technology today!"

Testing insights immediately under the toughest conditions

At the core of the development work are the friction data between the road and the wheel, which Arnold NextG's electronic steering and braking system continuously gathers and can provide to autonomous driving system providers and sensor manufacturers (camera, radar, LiDAR) through flexible interfaces. Combined with the corresponding algorithms, it will be possible for assistance and driving systems to calculate the dynamics of almost any vehicle at any speed safely in the future.
These data are crucial for realizing safe autonomous mobility applications, thus representing a real revolution in the entire automotive and mobility industry. The data and values obtained in motorsport directly contribute to the further development of NXNextMotion, and insights and improvements derived from them can be tested immediately under the toughest conditions.

First deployments at the Nürburgring and Hockenheim

The framework for the first two race deployments will be the final season races of GTC Race (https://www.gtc-race.de/; October 13-15, 2023) and ADAC GT Masters (https://adac- motorsport.de/adac-gt-masters/;October 20-22, 2023). During the last season race of GTC Race at the Nürburgring, the Mercedes-AMG GT3 deployed by Arnold NextG will be supported by W&S Racing. At the ADAC GT Masters deployment at the Hockenheimring, two Mercedes-AMG GT3 cars will be on the starting grid, supported by Schnitzelalm-Racing. Whether at the Nürburgring or Hockenheim, one of the cockpits is firmly in the hands of the family. Luca Arnold, the younger brother of Kevin Arnold and the second driving force at Arnold NextG, will participate in both deployments and will continue to have a direct influence on the development of Arnold NextG technology as a development driver.

About Arnold NextG GmbH 

Arnold NextG realizes the Safety-by-Wire® technology of tomorrow, whether on land, in water, or in the air. We offer the globally unique and multi-redundant central control unit NX NextMotion, which enables fail-safe and customized implementation. As an independent advanced developer, incubator, and system supplier, Arnold NextG takes on planning and execution, from vision to road approval.