Comet Lake, or Intel’s 10th Generation of Core processors is upon us. It only makes sense that we start seeing the notebook PC versions of these very potent processors. For MSI, it is the 6 series that breaks daylight with their brand-new power units.
MSI GE66 Raider
Source: MSI
The first of the gaming notebook PCs that broke daylight is the GE66 Raider. To begin with, there is a new chassis that contains the dragon like performance hardware inside. You get a new RGB lighting at the mouth edge of the bottom half clam. It is like a ‘go faster’ stripe on a car, it makes it ‘go faster’.
Only, unlike a ‘go faster’ stripe, the 15-inch MSI GE66 raider packs a faster, more powerful 10th Generation Core i9 Processor and an even more powerful GPU in the form of an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER. Take this with a pinch of salt though – there are not confirmed spec sheet for Malaysia just yet. At this point, we only know that it is coming and what it looks like.
MSI GS66 Stealth
Thin and light is what everyone in the industry is gunning for theses days. That is the aim of the MSI GS66 Stealth. The older generation GS65 that this replaces has some golf accents that divides two worlds. Some thinks that it is a tad too tacky, some thinks it looks good.
Source: MSI
I, for one, prefer the brand new GS66 Stealth Core Black that makes it look like an actual stealth bomber in a way. It looks like any other notebook PC that means business in the business world. They remind me of the ruggedness that is associated with the indestructible Lenovo ThinkPads if I am so bold to say.
The new GS66 Stealth packs a cooling technology like no other. It has something they call MSI Cooler Boost Trinity+. The system is a combination of an optimised airflow system and a 0.1mm thin blades for maximum airflow out of a body no thicker than 2cm. That is the total thickness of the 15-inch MSI GS66 Stealth by the way.
Now you start wondering how this petite notebook PC packs Intel’s 10th Generation Core i9-10980HK power unit and up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (Max-Q). All that power is supported by two 16GB (up to) onboard RAM, making an effective 32GB of RAM size. With up to 2TB of SSD space – you can easily separate work and play with no fuss of running out of space. All this power translates to the beauty on the 15.6-inch Full HD 300Hz nearly 100%sRGB display.
ASUS is upping the ante when it comes to cooling with their new line up of gaming laptops! The company announced today that their new line up of Republic of Gamers (ROG) laptops will not only come with the 10th generation Intel processors and NVIDIA RTX SUPER graphics cards; they will now come with a new thermal compound to help with cooling efficiency.
The new laptops will now employ the help of the Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut liquid-metal thermal compound. The new cooling compound has long been used by overclockers and enthusiasts to help draw more performance from processors by keeping temperatures down. The new liquid metal approach that ASUS is employing allows comes after a year’s long research and development cycle. This has allowed ASUS to create a patented factory application process.
The first step of the process involves applying the liquid metal which is essentially a painting process. This happens 17 times, the ideal number of passes according to ASUS. While that’s happening, more of the liquid into the die. ASUS engineers have created a special barrier that prevents it from seeping and shorting the circuits.
So what’s the big deal? Well, with this new process, all of the new ROG gaming laptops will now be able to perform at lower temperatures. This translates to more silent laptops and higher performance at lower temperatures. So, it could very well mean that ASUS’s new ROG line up could be the most powerful laptops on the market thanks to better, more efficient cooling.
The ROG Strix SCAR series has been engineered from the ground up as a gaming laptop meant for professional gamers. It has always been about getting the most performance to get the edge over your competition. This time is no different. ASUS is supercharging the ROG Strix SCAR series with a larger, more powerful version of the popular, eSports centric gaming laptop.
The new ROG Strix SCAR 17 brings a larger 17.3-inch Full HD display with up to 3ms response time and 300 Hz refresh rate. The larger screen gives players a better, more immersive experience as they work on taking down the competition. The high refresh rate will enable them to have split second response to score that much needed win.
Of course, the SCAR 17 is no slouch when it comes to the processing power of the laptop. Powered by up to an Intel Core i9-10980HK paired with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER, the laptop should be able to handle any game or video processing that users throw at it. It also comes with up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM with 2 M.2 slots for terabytes of memory.
Coming along for the ride is a new, optimised cooling system and also the ROG Keystone II. Developed in collaboration with BMW Designworks, the system allows deep personalisation and also encryption. Users are able to use it as an encryption key for a hidden drive or for launching apps of their choice.
Pricing & Availability
No word on pricing or availability from ASUS just yet. However, stay tuned and we’ll update you when we do.
Official Specifications
Processor
Up to Intel® Core™ i9-10980HK
Operating system
Windows 10 Pro
Graphics
Up to NVIDIA ® GeForce RTX™ 2080 SUPER
Display
Up to 17.3″ FHD (1920 x 1080), IPS FHD 300Hz (3ms)
Memory & storage
Up to 32 GB DDR4 3200 MHz SDRAM 2 x M.2 NVMe® PCIe® 3.0 x4 up to 1 TB SSD with RAID 0 support Up to 3 SSDs
Connectivity
2×2 Intel® WiFi 6 (Gig+) (802.11ax) RangeBoost support Bluetooth® 5.1
Audio
2 x 4.2-watt speakers Smart amplifier
Keyboard
Backlit chiclet keyboard Aura Sync Per-key RGB
Interfaces
Left side I/O 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 x Audio combo jack: Mic-in and Headphone out Rear side I/O 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A 1 X USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C™ (supports DisplayPort, no PD charging) 1 x LAN RJ45 jack 1 x HDMI (supports HDMI 2.0b), supports HDCP SPEC 2.2
Software
Armoury Crate GameFirst V Sonic Studio GameVisual Aura Creator
The ROG Zephyrus has become ASUS’s go to series when it comes to pushing the boundaries of gaming laptops. Having first pushed the boundaries of portability and svelte design about 2 years ago, the line up is now looking to push boundaries when it comes to functionality. However, it still maintains
The new ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 adopts a form factor ASUS fans will be familiar with. We first saw this form factor when ASUS launched its ZenBook Pro Duo. That said, ASUS has optimised and enhanced the dual screen form factor for the power user and gamer. The new ROG ScreenPad Plus tilts up at a 13° angle when the lid is opened. This serves a two-fold purpose of making the the Zephyrus Duo 15 more ergonomic to use as well as allowing more airflow through the larger opening on both the top and bottom of the laptop thanks to ASUS’s Active Aerodynamic System (AAS).
The AAS system opens a 7 to 10mm vents that extend across the bottom of the laptop. This allows increased airflow to cool the processors and components. This is better fortified by the larger 28.5mm air intake across the top surface of the laptop’s base. This lies hidden behind the ROG ScreenPad Plus. This AAS Plus allows an additional 30% of airflow better cooling the components. This also helps keep the laptop even more silent at only 43dB even in performance mode.
The ROG ScreenPad Plus is a 14.1-inch 4K, UHD screen which spans the top half of the base of the laptop. The touchscreen display allows users to use multiwindows and even monitor things such as chat or even the OBS console while livestreaming. Of course, if you’re using things like Adobe Premiere Pro on the Zephyrus DUO 15, the ScreenPad Plus will be able to show you your timelines.
Users have the choice of speed or resolution when it comes tho the main display of the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15. The main display is either a 300 Hz Full HD IPS LCD display with 3ms response times or a 4K UHD display with a 60 Hz refresh rate. The 15.6-inch display panels are PANTONE validated and have support for NVIDIA G-SYNC. The 4K UHD display covers 100% of the Adobe gamut while the FHD IPS covers 100% of the sRGB gamut.
On the insides, the new Zephyrus Duo 15 comes with either the 10th Generation Intel Core i9-10980HK or i7-10875H processors. This is paired with either a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER or RTX 2080 SUPER graphics cards. This comes with a built-in 16GB of DDR4 RAM with an extra SODIMM RAM slot.
Pricing & Availability
ASUS hasn’t announced any pricing or availability as of yet. However, we’ll keep you updated as soon as we get word.
Official Specifications
Processor
Intel® 10th Gen Comet Lake i9-10980HK Intel® 10th Gen Comet Lake i7-10875H
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C™, DisplayPort 1.4, TBT, PD input 20 V/3A；output 5 V/3A 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A (right) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (Bottom) 1 x HDMI (HDMI 2.0b support) 2 x audio jack: mic-in & headphone, plus mic-in 1 x RJ45 LAN
Battery
90 Wh
Power Supply
240 W power adaptor Supports USB-C™ Power Delivery 3.0 up to 65 W
ROG or Republic of Gamers has become one of the most popular gaming brands in the world. It has become ASUS’ most valuable brand when it comes to performance laptops and PCs geared for gamers. This year, ASUS breathes new life into its gaming laptop line up with new form factors, better specifications and an all new cooling system.
The new ROG line up will be powered by the latest and greatest 10th generation Intel Core processors paired with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX SUPER. It will feature the one of the industry’s first displays with 300Hz refresh rate and speedy performance thanks to DDR4 RAM. It will also feature ASUS’s new Liquid Metal cooling solution which is touted to reduce temperature by 10°C to 20°C.
ROG Zephyrus Duo 15
Spearheading the new line up is the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15. The new addition to the Zephyrus line up comes with a form factor that ASUS enthusiasts will be pretty familiar with. Adopting the second screen experience pioneered by the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo, the Zephyrus Duo 15 comes with the new ROG ScreenPad Plus.
The new ROG ScreenPad Plus makes the ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 a device made for streamers and multitaskers. The new second screen isn’t just there to look at, users will be able to multitask better thanks to the touch screen. However, this 14.1-inch, 4K UHD screen plays second fiddle to the 15.6-inch PANTONE validated display which comes with a refresh rate of up to 300MHz.
The new Zephyrus flagship will be powered by the all new, 10th Generation Intel Comet Lake Core i7 or Core i9 processors. This will be paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX SUPER graphics processor and 16GB of DDR4 RAM.
ROG Zephyrus S Series
Following close behind is the Zephyrus S series which consists of the S17 and S15. The Zepyrus S series comes with a svelte 18.9mm chassis that houses power packed specifications. Both the S17 and S15 come support NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX SUPER graphics cards and Intel’s latest 10 generation processors.
The Zephyrus S series also comes with a display with a refresh rate of up to 300Hz refresh rate. This display is also PANTONE validated for colour accuracy on the S17. The S17 also comes with a full desktop-style keyboard with per-key RGB LED backlight and a NumPad. The extra room also allowed ASUS to include an integrated volume roller. It also comes with the ASUS’s AAS cooling technology which opens a large intake vent on the bottom end when the lid is opened.
The S15 comes with a smaller screen and a reinforced palm rest area. The extra strength provided by the honeycomb structure makes the palm rest flex resistant. The soft touch finish adds a smooth, fingerprint resistant layer.
ROG Zephyrus M15
M is for the masses. The Zephyrus M comes not only with an affordable price but also a range of configurations for any gamer. Starting with the 10th generation Intel Core i7, the Zephyrus M is slated to be the most affordable one of the range. It comes with display options ranging from a Full HD IPS panel with 144Hz to a 4K UHD panel. Customizability doesn’t end there; the Zephyrus M comes with a range of GPUs starting with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti to the RTX 2070.
While affordability is one of the hallmarks of the Zephyrus M, it doesn’t compromise when it comes to quality. The laptop’s slim chassis is made of structurally reinforced magnesium alloy. When it comes to sound, the M comes with an ESS Sabre DAC for crisp audio. It has two easily accessible M.2 slots and supports dual display outputs and Thunderbolt 3.
ROG Strix SCAR Series
Staying faithful to its e-sports roots, the refreshed Strix SCAR series comes with all the bells and whistles that you’d expect. From looks to its it specifications, the Strix SCAR 15 and 17 are made for gamers. It doesn’t shy away from showing its gaming inclination with customizable RGB LED lighting effects. This is, of course, complemented by an illuminated RGB ROG Logo on the lid.
The Strix SCAR series pushes its boundaries with up to an Intel Core i9 processor paired with up to an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER on the Strix SCAR 15 or the RTX 2080 SUPER on the Strix SCAR 17.
ROG Strix G Series
Rounding up the new series of laptops is the ROG Strix G series. ASUS refreshes both the Strix G15 an G17 with better specifications and a new Electro Punk version. This new version comes on top of the Glacier Blue and Original Black versions og the Strix G.
Both models of the Strix G series come with the 10th generation Intel cores and the NVIDIA RTX SUPER Graphics. The G series tops out at the Intel Core i7 and the RTX 2070 SUPER. It also comes with display panels with 144 Hz and 240 Hz refresh rates.
Pricing and Availability
ASUS has not announced any pricing or availability at the time of the announcement. However, stay tuned and we’ll be updating you as we get the information.
This article is contributed by Varinderjit Singh, General Manager, Lenovo Malaysia.
In a staggering feat of modern construction, crews in Wuhan, China built two emergency hospitals in 10 days shortly after the coronavirus outbreak began to relieve an overburdened hospital system for this unprecedented pandemic. For a small group of Lenovo employees, those days in late January will be forever remembered as a time of rapid and meaningful collaboration alongside colleagues and friends to meet a devastating technical challenge.
Emergency Construction Begins
As hospitals in Wuhan became instantly overcrowded with patients, construction began on January 23 of the Huoshenshan hospital and again on January 27 of the Leishenshan hospital. The day after emergency construction crews broke ground on the first hospital, Lenovo created an epidemic prevention and control team that decided to donate all the IT equipment needed by Huoshenshan.
Source: Business Insider
Delivering hundreds of computers, tablets, printers, and more to the hospital in such a short time—and in a way that would be safe for everyone involved—posed an incredible challenge to the team. Still, the scale and operational experience of Lenovo made the team optimistic they could contribute all the necessary parts within the aggressive 10-day timeline.“We just want to do something, to help by providing whatever IT equipment the hospital needed,” said Lu Yuan, General Manager of Lenovo’s Commercial Customer Business of Hunan and Hubei provinces (Wuhan is located in Hubei province).
Round the Clock Coordination
Source: Lenovo
Getting the products to the hospitals through a largely quarantined city was the first task, followed immediately by assembling IT and maintenance volunteers needed to make it all work on site. Lenovo’s after-sales service engineers from across the country, Xu Tan, Senior Manager of Lenovo Customers of Hubei and Wu Zhiyuan, Senior Sale Manager of Commercial Solutions volunteered and worked non stop to better equip the front-line medical staff for a better fight.
“The complex environment is far beyond imagination,” said Wu. “Under normal circumstances, with the speed of Lenovo, 15 people and 500 sets of equipment can be fully installed and commissioned in less than 24 hours. However, the 24-hour, non-stop construction requires coordination from multiple parts, such as communicating with the hospital’s organizer, establishing the on-site network, and syncing with tech experts at Lenovo headquarters.”
Wu continued, “In general circumstances, one PC is equipped with one printer, but for the hospital each medical PC needs to connect to three printers: a wristband printer, a case printer, and a receipt printer, which is a tough challenge for compatibility. Huoshenshan alone has 500 desktops, and if we install the equipment one by one, the workload is beyond imagination. But with the help of Lenovo IDV [a desktop solution that can quickly install thousands of PCs] we installed the desktops of 500 computer terminals at once, enabling doctors and staff to use them immediately. Also any problems can be handled remotely, which is not only extremely efficient but also reduces the frequency of entering any contaminated areas.”
A group of Lenovo engineers and hospital support completed the installation and commissioning of more than 1,400 pieces of equipment at both hospitals in only a few days to ensure that the hospitals would be able to provide services to patients on time.
By February 2, all IT equipment donated to Huoshenshan Hospital was delivered, updated, installed, and put into use—just one day before its doors opened to patients on February 3.
This was the beginning of Lenovo’s efforts to support employees, customers, and communities as COVID-19 spread. In China, Lenovo’s efforts continue, bolstered by the friends from Lenovo all around the world.
Having in-ear type earphones is one of the best ways to block out the outside world with music. It helps you isolate in a noise world. This is especially useful in these trying times when you are stuck at home trying to tolerate your family or roommates. It is also useful in your work-from-home condition when you just need to isolate yourself in a tight space shared with your significant other, or other members of your household. What makes the earphones even better is when you get one with Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). That isolates you even further and immerses you in the music and your workspace even more.
Source: Samsung South Korea
Samsung sort of started this craze of True wireless (TWS) earbuds with their first ever Samsung IconX. That was a small earphone thing that got my attention when it was launched. We said small, compared to what we get today though, the IconX was quite behemoth in size. That is not to take away from what it can do though.
Samsung continued with their fresh line of TWS earphones a year ago when they launched their brand-new Samsung Galaxy Buds. A big bump over the IconX with smaller footprints. I have one with me and I do like it a lot, especially for exercises. It does not hurt that the Galaxy Buds was also made in collaboration with AKG, Samsung’s sub-company.
There was one thing lacking from the Buds though; it did not have ANC. The next iteration of it, the Samsung Galaxy Buds+, was rumoured to have ANC too. It did not come with ANC, and now we are left wanting.
Enter the AKG N400. AKG has been known to make studio quality audio equipment. The part they played in the development of the Samsung Galaxy Buds series is not small either. They are a reputable brand in the world of audiophiles.
The AKG N400 is a little bit of surprise to us. When we saw the Samsung Galaxy Buds, and later the Buds+, we though that this is it; this is AKG’s TWS earphones in your hands. AKG, with the N400 says; “not quite”.
Source: Samsung South Korea
The AKG N400 is actually more expensive than the outgoing Samsung Galaxy Buds+. It is a more premium item though. Why? It has ANC, that is why.
Why did we tout this as the Galaxy Buds+ Plus? Because of this AKG’s similarity to its distant cousin, the Samsung Galaxy Buds+. The buds design is quite similar to the other. Even the case is quite similar with a little more heft here at the bottom. The case also charges the N400 once over giving the AKG TWS earbuds up to 12 hours of battery life without ANC on. With ANC on, it gets 10 hours of battery life in total.
It even has a touch button with IPX7 rating. The similarities also extend to the wingtip design of the buds. The only difference here is that Samsung does not ship their Buds or Buds+ with extra ear wing tips; this does.
Source: Samsung South Korea
For now, the AKG N400 ANC TWS earbuds is available only in South Korea. It is priced at KRW 230,000. That is approximately MYR 812 by today’s conversion rate. That price tag brings it a little closer to the price tag of the Sony WF-1000XM3 ANC TWS earbuds which we dearly love. Would it be as good or better? We will only find out if the AKG N400 makes it to Malaysia.
The COVID-19 situation is not looking great, if we are all being honest. In Malaysia, if you have not known yet, is under a state sanctioned Movement Control Order (MCO). In other words, we are on partial lock down. Only essential services and businesses are allowed to operate. You are not even allowed a stroll in the public park; at least you are discouraged to with summons from the authorities. Even kids are not exempted from this ruling.
Source: Mercedes-AMG F1
In other parts of the world as well, the authorities have started encouraging self-quarantines and social distancing. Our neighbouring country has already started issuing fines for those who are not in accordance to their guideline of social distancing. In other words, everyone is doing their parts in combating this global pandemic. Even F1 teams have committed their resources and expertise in break-neck, cutting edge engineering to combat the disease with something they call Project Pitlane as we have covered yesterday.
There are plenty of tips out there about staying sane and
productive at home. There are also plenty of guides about staying healthy at home
with exercises and what not. One thing that everyone says they have more time for
now that they are at home is gaming. We are gamers here too, and we agree; I sunk
more than 50 hours already in Death Stranding in the first week of our MCO alone,
before realising that I need to be a little bit more productive and active.
Source: Ubisoft
One thing people do not say about gaming though is that it
costs money. You need money to buy these games. Some of these games can get quite
expensive too. Imagine buying all the AAA titles you can find out there today.
That would empty your back account very quickly.
Still, Ubisoft, one of the biggest game developers in the world and running their own UPlay curated game marketplace is doing their part in the battle against COVID-19. One of the things that was encouraged for these few weeks is self-quarantine and staying at home. Ubisoft is all for that and that is why they are giving out free games starting from the 30th of March 2020.
Source: Ubisoft
They start with ‘Rayman Legends’ from the 30th March to the 3rd of April 2020 onward. After that they will line up other games to giveaway at least for a few weeks. That is good news for everyone. All you need to do is sign up for Ubisoft’s UPlay account and download they UPlay app for desktop. For us gamers, that gives us even more reason to stay indoors and even lock our doors to keep playing all the games we have not finished. Now, excuse me while I finish Death Stranding and get to all my other games.
So last Friday we started on a series to document how we will start living with a HUAWEI smartphone free from the clutches of the evil Google ecosystem. No, they are not really evil; I am just trying to be a bit dramatic here. You get the idea though. Modern HUAWEI smartphones today only come with HUAWEI’s very own Mobile Services and AppGallery; no Google Mobile Services and Play Store. Kind of sad, really.
Last week we managed to download Facebook and WhatsApp. We did not have Instagram, or Netflix, or Telegram. In short, there were plenty of apps we did not have. Did we miss them? Yes, very much, I had Instagram and Netflix, and Prime Video installed in other devices just to scroll through them.
I Still Miss Social Media
In truth though, I am not that big of a social media person.
While I do scroll through social media from time to time, I seldom spend more
than 15 minutes scrolling through Facebook, or Instagram, or Twitter, and even
Snapchat. I have never logged onto Tik Tok.
That does not mean that I can completely ignore all this social
media though. Of course, if I am being honest, I do miss the apps. The idea of
just seeing what other people are up to in their own life; that can still be
quite fun, and quite traumatising depending on the contents.
Facebook can be quite enough though, especially with
Facebook Watch and the countless videos on the platform. That is technically
all the entertainment I got from the HUAWEI Nova 7i. To keep in touch with my
friends, I have WhatsApp. Then again, I turn on my WhatsApp on desktop barely
looked at my smartphone when it comes to messages.
Exploring the AppGallery A Little Deeper
Still, things are not so bad after scrolling through the AppGallery
once more. There are apps in the smartphone after all. Social media apps
include Snapchat, Tik Tok (of course), and WeChat (of course). Nope, nothing
else that I use as far as I can tell. There is even TrueCaller on the AppGallery.
Things are looking a bit up now that I scroll through a little
bit more through the AppGallery. You can find Viu, iflix, and some cinema booking
apps within the AppGallery to start with. No, no Netflix or even Amazon Video
Prime. For now, iflix and Viu would do. I personally don’t have a viu account,
so I stick to iflix. We are currently under the Movement Control Order (MCO),
so I cannot go for movies.
If not though, I can do some window shopping via Zalora, Lazada,
and even Shopee. There are even some games that you might be familiar with. One
of them is Cut the Rope 2 within the AppGallery. You can even find Lords Mobile
and Fortnite on the device. So to be fair, you are not really getting
shorthanded in terms of entertainment here.
For productivity, they have WPS Office on the AppGallery. While
some say that WPS Office app is better than the original Microsoft apps, I
would respectfully disagree. The modern Microsoft apps are now so much better,
and so much more optimised. At the same time, it is easier to sync your Microsoft
apps to OneDrive than anything else. This is a problem on the device though;
there are almost no Microsoft apps here.
I say almost because there is a particularly useful Microsoft
app that we love. That app is Microsoft’s Translation app. In our opinion, this
is the best translation app that mankind has ever produced. It is accurate and
works with plenty of accents. Still, we are not here for the Microsoft Translate
app.
It is Still Android, Just Without Google
The apps that are downloaded are also very similar to the
Android apps you find on Google Play Store. The EMUI 10 is based on Android 10
after all. Still, we found these apps. Which are great. If you are worried
about bringing them out as your electronic wallet, you would be relieved to
find Touch n’ Go app in there and Boost app. Grab is making its way on
AppGallery. Still, the two largest e-wallets in Malaysia has a foothold in
HUAWEI’s AppGallery. That means the HUAWEI Mobile Services (HMS), and
AppGallery cannot be that bad, right? Too early to tell in my opinion.
Still, we are going to dive a little deeper than that. For
now, that is all we can walk away with. Stay tuned for the next part.
If you have not known yet, I am the resident Formula 1 (F1)
nut in the office. I talk about F1 all the time, maybe to the point of
annoyance. I had the privilege of attending the F1 Singapore GP in 2019 courtesy
of Acronis and loved every second of being there. Sure, to some, F1 is nothing
more than just watching cars going around a piece of specialised and closed road
for an hour and a half.
To me, F1 is more than just that. It is the epitome of competition. It is the pinnacle of automotive racing, a sort of playground for the best of the best in the sport. It is also the pinnacle of modern automotive technology. The F1 world has contributed plenty of its innovation to the road going vehicles that we see today.
Source: Williams Advanced Engineering
There are other things as well. The understanding of Carbon Fibre constructions and driver safety is the reason hospitals have specific cradles for new-born babies that are lightweight, safe, and super comfortable for the younglings. So, F1 tech has reached out to more than just modern automotive industry.
We are all saddened by the news that the Japan Olympics this
year has been postponed to 2021 at the earliest. I was very sad when they
announced that F1 in Australia has to be cancelled, when China voluntarily cancels
their own hosting for this year’s F1 GP, and when F1 also announced that they
are not going to be racing in Bahrain, and Vietnam in 2020. All this, in the
name of combatting COVID-19. One of the McLaren staffs was confirmed as a case in
Australia and that kicked started the whole chains of events until today.
As of yesterday, some good news shone from the world of F1. They are not completely shutting down their factories and labs. Instead they are re-purposing them, at least seven of them in the United Kingdom (UK) are. These seven F1 outfits are all based in the UK as well, which is sort of why they are re-purposing their factories and labs to something they call Project Pitlane and #VentilatorChallengeUK consortium.
#VentilatorChallengeUK Consortium
By now, you would have read plenty about the global pandemic
that is COVID-19. By now, you would also learn to recognise the symptoms of contracting
the virus as well. By now, you would have learnt that patients will have
trouble breathing.
This calls for breathing
aid apparatus for the patients treated for COVID-19. In UK, where cases have
exceeded 22,000 individuals and death tolls hitting the 1,500s, the need of
such devices is becoming a desperation. They need more than 20,000 ventilation
equipment at this point.
The VentilatorChallengeUK consortium is the UK government’s call out to the private sectors to supply the health industry in the region with breathing aid equipment. It is an open tender for companies to design, build, and quickly manufacture a breathing aid apparatus for patients in the UK, for now. To that, the F1 world has answered the call with Project Pitlane.
Project Pitlane
The description from F1’s own website is very brief
actually. It is sort of a call to arms for the F1 teams to contribute in this
global pandemic, or rather to fight this pandemic. The project is basically a
challenge to the F1 teams to reverse engineer, redesign, and produce any
devices or anything that could help in scaling the production of UK’s VentilatorChallengeUK.
It could reach out more than that in a later date though.
To that extent, Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, BWT Racing Point
F1 Team, Hass F1 Team, McLaren F1 Team, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, Renault
DP World F1 Team, and ROKiT Williams Racing has answered the call and pledged
to Project Pitlane.
In Italy, Ferrari has done their own part in the battle of COVID-19 too. They have donated EU€ 10 million (MYR 47.4 million) to the cause to buy ventilators and to provide a fleet of cars to transport and distribute food and medical supplies. Imagine a Ferrari F12 ambulance on their patient run, or even a Ferrari F12 fleet sending emergency medical supplies from one hospital to another. That would have been a great sight. Only in Italy though, at this point.
If you understand medical equipment production. Products like the
CPAP that Mercedes-AMG HPP and UCLH has developed or reverse engineered could
take years to develop. They have done in in a matter of days. It is not just a
testament of how much the world has progressed today, it is a testament to what
F1 type production process could do for other industries.
It also is also a prove of how many brilliant people are involved in getting a car circling a piece of specialised road as quickly as possible. Then again, the factory in Brixworth costs Mercedes-Benz quite a lot of money. It has been producing F1 engines since 1983 and has been producing several championship winning power units in various cars over the years.
