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The supply of electrical energy to centres of demand is an increasingly important issue as our power generation sources decarbonise. Without innovation in our use of high voltage cables, security of supply to our major cities cannot be guaranteed. Our research has:
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.
Modern processor architectures (networked multi/many-core nodes), together with society's expectation of evermore-complex applications, require fluent mastery of concurrency. To enable this mastery, in the last two decades our group has taught, researched and developed fundamental notions of concurrency, new programming languages (occam-pi, and the KRoC toolset), libraries (JCSP, CCSP, C++CSP, CHP), runtime systems (the KRoC/CCSP multicore scheduler) and tools based on formal process algebra (Hoare's CSP, and Milner's pi-calculus).
Our work has had impact in providing new mechanisms for software development in a number of sectors such as chip design, large-scale real-time systems, formal interfaces and testing and the space industry. Testimonials supporting this are available from a variety of industrial and commercial sources (NXP Semiconductors, Big Bee Consultants, Philips Healthcare, 4Links Ltd. and Microsoft Research Cambridge). The breadth of impact of the work is evidenced by download statistics, as well as by third-party contributions to libraries and documentation.
The underpinning research has led to a methodology for cost-effective monitoring systems to interpret complex and emergent conditions in real-world applications. There are ten different organisations utilising the technology, benefitting the UK economy and health care provision, both nationally and internationally. These include MAST Group Ltd, Electricity North West Ltd, TMMHRC (India) and the Milestones Trust (Bristol). The impacts are (i) Economic: improving business capabilities and UK company profit margins (ii) Societal: benefiting health sector organisations in India and in the UK through improved diagnosis and care for the elderly and vulnerable; and (iii) Environmental: reducing waste and carbon footprint.
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.
The Advanced Signal Processing Group at Loughborough University has, since 2007, changed significantly the awareness and understanding of technical staff at QinetiQ, Malvern, a world leading defence and security company, in relation to signal processing for Polynomial Matrix Decompositions, Game Theoretic Methods and Cooperative Communications and Beamforming. This has helped QinetiQ, Malvern, to develop state-of-the-art products and solutions for the networked battlespace with unique performance advantages. This impact is being extended through a five-year £4.5M project awarded, in 2013, by the EPSRC and Dstl to Loughborough University, to aid in implementing the UK's Defence Technology Strategy for the 21st Century.
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.
The Technology Management Group (TMG) in the Department of Space and Climate Physics (also known as the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, or MSSL) at UCL has developed a range of professional training courses for industry that promote a forward-looking approach to the management of technology projects. Industrial customers have invested almost £2.4 million on the training within the REF impact period, greatly valuing its impact in helping their staff deal with the challenges of modern, complex projects, such as achieving high reliability in network-enabled systems that need to perform in the harshest environments. The training has improved engineering capability and organisational effectiveness for its customers, helping them to deliver excellent performance — to budget, on time and with the quality and functionality required. The TMG has also contributed to a systems engineering competency framework that is being used worldwide in the professional certification of systems engineers.
Automotive design analysis software based on qualitative reasoning research in the Advanced Reasoning Group at Aberystwyth is deployed at more than 200 automotive and aeronautic OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers world-wide. The software necessitates companies changing their process for performing design analysis, and companies are willing to do this because of the attendant benefits.
The major benefits of use of the software are early feedback on potential problems with the design of automotive systems, and improved safety of automotive designs. Related benefits are improved product time to market, and cost savings. A representative example of production savings of $2.5 million has been given for use of the software on a single product design, as well as Ford Motor Company's estimate of $20M per year saved in just their company.
Research at the University of Portsmouth (UoP) has created new user-friendly control, navigation and communication systems for powered-wheelchairs that have made a significant and positive impact on the lives of users. These have given many disabled children and adults an opportunity for independent mobility, some for the first time.
The systems have been used in six special schools and institutions (including RNIB and NHS) and many private homes. Economic impact in reducing the need for carers alone has been estimated at more than £250,000 p.a and the devices have also changed some professional services.