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This case study concerns the design and methodology adopted in the construction of high reliability (safety-critical and real-time) embedded systems, particularly as applied in the automotive and avionics industry. The key impact has been for the automotive and avionics industry to adopt a change in the way these systems are designed, leading to more reliable systems, faster time to market, lower production and verification costs, and lower maintenance costs.
The subject matter concerns the fundamental architecture of high reliability embedded systems. Specifically it is a paradigm shift in the theoretical design of the software and hardware from established event-driven architectures to novel time-triggered architectures developed at the University of Leicester (UoL). The novel paradigm is supported by a range of development tools, processor designs, and diagnostic/maintenance tools developed by a spin-out company, TTE Systems Ltd. Research was exploited commercially by TTE Systems Ltd to provide economic impact via software tools sales, consultancy services, bespoke product development, and training courses.
Led by Professor Andrews, a computational method for real time mission planning, based on Binary Decision Diagrams (BDD), was developed in the Mathematical Sciences Department at Loughborough University (LU) from 1993-2003. This is fast and accurate and can be used to support decision-making on system utilisation in real-time operation, which has led to the ability to diagnose in flight faults for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) applications.
The research has changed the understanding and awareness of the advantages of BDD, resulting in integration into major industrial trials and proprietary software products, including at BAE Systems, one of the world's largest companies in an area of vital importance to UK security and economic development. The methodology has attracted significant research funding in collaborative programmes with industry.
Aston University has developed systems thinking, specifically soft systems thinking, into a new approach known as the Process Orientated Holonic (PrOH) Modelling Methodology which has been used to model, debate and implement changes to strategy and operational processes in service and manufacturing organisations. Through PrOH Modelling our research has changed the awareness, use, and long term legacy effect in a variety of organisations as exemplified here by 4 cases in which considerable operational and financial impacts have accrued. These impacts have been achieved by (i) increasing awareness of systems thinking, particularly soft systems thinking, by management (ii) implementing use of soft systems thinking (as PrOH modelling) to give demonstrable organisational improvement in specific change projects, and (iii) ensuring a legacy effect of systems thinking practice, as managers' use of systems thinking is more effective after an initial Aston University led project has been completed.
University of Huddersfield research into knowledge engineering, domain modelling and machine learning has raised professional, industry and policymaker awareness of novel ways of designing more efficient, cost-effective and sustainable management networks. This is particularly the case in the field of transportation, where recognition of such techniques has significantly increased among stakeholders throughout the UK and across Europe. The research has been credited with informing a "step-change in thinking" and is now central to the £16m EPSRC Autonomous and Intelligent Systems Programme, which has attracted more than £4m in financial and in-kind support from hi-tech industries.
Reliable and timely measurements are vital for innovation, trade, environmental protection and quality of life. University of Bedfordshire work with measurement systems was already established in 1993 with commercially sponsored work to develop and patent sensors for rapid toxicity assessment in the water industry. Biosensor technologies provide approaches to development and application of cost effective devices for measurement at the point of need in many fields of application and the university's Sensor Research Group has continued to work with industry to develop robust (bio)sensor systems to address business and society needs — particularly with respect to environmental protection, health and wellbeing.
University of Cambridge research on the principles of `sentient computing' led to the foundation of spin-out company Ubisense, which has grown into a leading location solutions company. By the end of 2011, Ubisense had 170 employees and was floated on AIM with a valuation of £38.6million. It serves customers such as BMW, Airbus, Aston Martin and the US Army. Deployment of the Ubisense Real Time Location System has improved production line accuracy and efficiency by up to 10%.
A team led by a Manchester Metropolitan University researcher developed the PROBE (Project Review, Objective Evaluation) methodology for evaluating healthcare information technology systems. This became a core part of the National Health Service (NHS) information strategy; in 1996, PROBE was accepted by the NHS Executive and HM Treasury as a central method for project review. PROBE has therefore brought significant benefits to clinical users, patients and NHS decision makers. Impacts described here relate to the use of PROBE to evaluate an electronic blood transfusion system. Specifically, through enabling the effective evaluation of the system, decisions by a health authority have been informed by research, clinical practices have improved, and levels of patient safety and confidentiality have risen.
Aston's fibre Bragg grating research on optical sensing has had a global commercial impact, in particular the development of low-cost fibre FBG sensor interrogation methods. The work has been carried out with a diverse range of companies (including BAE Systems, Airbus, Insensys, Schlumberger) working across different sectors including oil and gas aerospace and marine. Specific impacts include the acquisition of 70% of the stock of Insensys Wind for US$15.7 million by Moog in 2009 and continuing employment by Smart Fibres, Moog Insensys and Astasense.
Low-cost wireless solutions beyond the technologies available previously and developed at Loughborough University since 2005 are used by IDC, and Sure, who integrate these technologies in several products and services so generating impacts in terms of:
The technologies have been deployed in a logistics distribution centre (ToysRUs), an automotive manufacturing process (Toyota), and a safety and security system (Sure).
Research in machine virtualisation conducted in the Cambridge Computer Laboratory from 1999 onwards provides the basis for much of the present day Cloud.
Xen is a virtual machine monitor that supports execution of multiple guest operating systems consuming little overhead and providing resource isolation. This was prototyped in the Laboratory and led to XenSource, a spin-out company, which was founded in 2005. XenSource was acquired in 2007 by Citrix Systems for US$500M, and products that were launched from December 2007 onwards have had a profound impact throughout the period. Xen is now used on millions of machines around the world, providing deployment flexibility and savings on power. It forms the basis of Citrix XenServer and Amazon's Elastic Cloud 2.