We’ve always thought that the Dassault Systèmes North American headquarters offices were pretty nice – we’re LEED certified, we’ve got a great view – but this week, the Ford offices in Dearborn, Michigan put us to shame. Sure, we may be eco-efficient, but they’re now world record holders for Hot Wheels® car track loops.
In honor of “Take your Child to Work Day” Ford decided to have a little bit of fun with a Hot Wheels version of their Mustang car. In an effort to create an enjoyable yet educational lesson in physics, Ford technician Matt West created a 12-foot loop for the car to race around. The previous world-record was made with a loop that was just a bit larger than nine feet tall. Check out the Ford media center for pictures and video of the event.
Even without a physics background, it’s pretty easy to understand that keeping the vehicle’s momentum through the entire 12 foot loop is pretty challenging – if it loses too much speed, gravity will take over. The loop was first designed in one of our Dassault Systèmes brands, CATIA. This allowed West and his teammates to figure out the best design to help the model car maintain the momentum it needed to complete the loop.
While we can’t lay claim to this world record-setting achievement, we are proud to say that had an integral role in helping them achieve it. And we’re even more proud of the fact CATIA is the same software that Ford uses to build the body, chassis, powertrain and electrical systems of its cars.
Not only was this an awesome and fun use of our software, but we also love the mission to involve more kids in the fields of science and engineering. Way to go Ford and congratulations on your new record!
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