The Mind of the Machine

THE MIND OF THE MACHINE

Unseen but all-important, the software of a McLaren acts like a central nervous system, coordinating every part of the car. Senior Software Validation Manager Tom Derbyshire is responsible for stress-testing the software - ensuring that each McLaren is ready for every possible scenario.

To unlock supreme engagement in our cars, the software has to work perfectly. Every day, more functions get added to our vehicles and it's really, important that we're thoroughly testing and validating the software, so the car works as a whole. And to make sure we deliver the performance and emotions a McLaren customer desires, we try to do everything you might expect a customer to do.

We have two lab cars here in the test centre. They are each an entire vehicle, but set out in a way that allows us to test everything very quickly. We also have cameras that can monitor these test cars from anywhere in the world, allowing us to do remote testing.

These lab cars can simulate thousands of complex software inputs 24 hours a day, with automated testing cycles and analysis enabling McLaren and it's software engineers to crunch through simply huge amounts of data.

CHANGE, MASTERED

Even seemingly small changes can have far-reaching impacts for the software and the car. Say you remove the roof from the 750S. You need controls that work when a condition is altered. You change the door, therefore the window controls change. You've changed the cabin, so the audio alters. That's before you even think about driving the car. We've added a bit of weight, so we tune the suspension that needs validating, and we do a new active aero calibration with the roof open and closed. So something as simple as removing the roof will actually impact most parts of the car.

A Word from McLaren

"We're effectively a department that never sleeps… but we wouldn't have it any other way."

In our Behind the Badge series we hear the stories of how we create our cars, from the people at McLaren Automotive who make it happen. Learn about the meticulous detail, the rigorous testing, and the secret science that goes into crafting the world's best supercars.

If you haven't seen our first episode, Around the World in 90 Minutes, discover how Body Engineer Jon Preece pushes our cars to their limits, testing them under the most intense environmental conditions.