Bloodhound is Richard Noble’s long running engineering project to break the existing land speed record and achieve speeds in excess of 1000 mph. Not a simple undertaking — the science, technology and engineering required for such a feat have to be taken to the nth degree. Neither does it come cheap. And, of course, it needs someone to drive it.
The Bloodhound driver is Andy Green, current holder of the existing land speed record, which he set in 1997, again as part of a Richard Noble project — the ThrustSSC car. The record stands at 763 mph and was also the first time a land vehicle went supersonic. To break the 1000 mph barrier, however, the Bloodhound project has to pull out all the stops. The project has been visible for some time and the car has been on site at a number of different engineering and technology shows to garner interest — and funding.
This weekend, however, Andy Green introduced a number of mainstream press representatives to the car and his finished “office” — the cockpit of the car. Where 3D printing comes into play is with the ‘steering wheel,’ which has been iterated and prototyped to perfection to precisely fit Andy’s hands using 3D printing. This with the aim of manufacturing the final wheel in titanium, also using industrial 3D printing. This enabled 100% customization, that will prove vital during driving, and the ability to build in all of the relevant controls — for the parachutes, air brakes and rocket — precisely matching Andy’s hand span and reach. The video below shows Andy explaining the various components of his office, including the wheel:
The Bloodhound project has also initiated an impressive education outreach programme in the UK, designed to inspire and support young engineers.
