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Research undertaken by the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS) at the University of Leeds from 1995 to 2012 has demonstrated that in-vehicle intelligent speed adaption (ISA) - technology to discourage or restrict speeding - reduces drivers' propensity to speed and consequently can dramatically reduce injury and fatality risk. ITS Leeds research has also shown the environmental benefits of these systems and their high acceptance by users and the public. This evidence has led policy-makers at national, European and international levels to advocate ISA adoption. A key impact has been Euro NCAP's decision in 2013 - directly informed by the ITS Leeds research - to explicitly recognise ISA within the safety ratings of new cars. To this end, the ITS Leeds research has informed a significant change to European-wide `quasi-regulation' and, through encouragement to car manufacturers, imposed lasting influence on the safety features of new cars.
Route-based weather forecasting is being increasingly adopted by local authorities and other organisations to help achieve more efficient and effective operational delivery of their winter resilience measures. This approach takes advantage of GPS and GIS technologies to provide weather forecasting information for particular routes, rather than relying on forecasts for a wider area. Transport agencies have adopted products based on this approach over the last five years to improve their decision making and achieve cost savings. These benefits are passed on to the public who receive a more efficient service without compromising their safety. Research by Chapman and Thornes identified the original concept used in these products, leading to a patent and spin-out company. Subsequently, the ideas were taken up by major companies in the weather forecasting industry who have marketed a series of products based on this innovative approach.
This research by the University's Transportation Research Group (TRG) has contributed to the development of sustainable road transport networks both in the UK and other leading cities worldwide. In summary:
Two decades of radar research at The University of Birmingham have had profound impacts on automotive radar systems. This is demonstrated by specific Jaguar LandRover products: adaptive cruise control (ACC); blind spot monitoring; and lane change merge aid. The first two of these are now available across the Jaguar and Land Rover ranges while the third is ready for launch in 2014. Wider economic and road safety impacts are occurring as the technology cascades down from the luxury vehicle market and achieves wider adoption. Automotive radar makes a significant financial contribution to Jaguar LandRover (JLR). Birmingham research has been vital to the development of this industry, in establishing fundamental scientific feasibility and technological viability and in solving deep technical challenges.
The GRANIT system is a non-destructive technique for assessing the condition of rock bolts and ground anchors used to support structures such as tunnels. It applies a small impulse to the bolt and interprets the resulting vibration response to provide estimates of load and unbonded length. Initial development of the system was based on the findings of EPSRC projects in tunnels undertaken by the Universities of Aberdeen and Bradford from 1989-1997, resulting in an empirically based method. However, research undertaken at the University of Aberdeen since 1998 has provided the understanding of the process and developed the fundamental engineering science needed to underpin the development of a full commercial system. The GRANIT system is patented, and has been subject to worldwide licence to Halcrow who have undertaken testing and provided a method of ensuring the safety of mines, tunnels and similar structures. Halcrow received the NCE award for Technical Innovation Award for GRANIT in December 2010. The impact of the research has been in part economic, but largely on practitioners and professional services.
Research into variable mechanical energy absorption, using Finite Element (FE) modelling and analysis, funded by Cellbond Ltd., led to a design specification for an Offset Deformable Barrier (ODB). Such barriers are used within the motor manufacturing industry to test vehicular safety. Based on the findings of our research, the barrier used in car crash tests has been redesigned. The design specification for the barrier has been adopted by the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP). All newly designed cars are tested with this type of barrier before they enter production. The use of FE modelling and virtual crash testing allows barriers to be designed with particular properties and for the crash testing cycle to be shortened.
This case study describes the impact of the work at the University in the field of rail and road vehicle aerodynamics, which has primarily been through the integration of research into UK and EU standards and codes of practice. This has resulted in impacts on practitioners and professional services in the field of rolling stock and infrastructure construction and operation, and has also provided information for industrial testing work and for use in expert witness work. Specifically the work has been incorporated into the following codes and standards.
The methodology in these codes is widely used by the railway industry in the UK and Europe in train and infrastructure design, and indeed in some situations their use is obligatory. The work has also directly informed recent testing work for Network Rail and HS2 (via Arup) that have addressed fundamental issues associated with major electrification projects for the former and basic track spacing determination for the latter. It has been used in two court cases that were concerned with lorries blowing over.
Strong collaboration and associated technology transfer from ERPE have enabled SeeByte to stay at the forefront of technology, securing strategic partnerships including Subsea7, BAE SYSTEMS and the US Navy in the offshore and military markets. This has enabled sustained employment in the science and engineering sector growing to 50 staff and financial growth, 15 technology licenses from ERPE have directly or indirectly generated £11 million in revenues for SeeByte in the REF impact period. In October 2013 SeeByte was acquired by Bluefin Robotics Inc, a spin out of MIT owned by the Battelle group [text removed for publication].
Research at the University of Bradford has enabled many major vehicle and brake manufacturers to improve the design of their brakes and braking systems to increase customer satisfaction and sales, and reduce costs. Methods have been developed to predict the thermo-mechanical and dynamic performance of brakes and provide design improvements. Durable solutions have been developed for noisy brakes, which have reduced warranty costs for approximately ten international collaborating companies including Bentley, where a squeal noise from the front brakes of a new vehicle had prevented it from being released for production. Our research has been embedded into short courses, which have trained over 250 engineers since 2008 and is incorporated into Jaguar Land Rover's (JLR) professional training.
The volume and diversity of data that companies need to handle are increasing exponentially. In order to compete effectively and ensure companies' commercial sustainability, it is becoming crucial to achieve robust traceability in both their data and the evolving designs of their systems. The CRISTAL software addresses this. It was originally developed at CERN, with substantial contributions from UWE Bristol, for one of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments, and has been transferred into the commercial world. Companies have been able to demonstrate increased agility, generate additional revenue, and improve the efficiency and cost-effectiveness with which they develop and implement systems in various areas, including business process management (BPM), healthcare and accounting applications. CRISTAL's ability to manage data and their provenance at the terabyte scale, with full traceability over extended timescales, based on its description-driven approach, has provided the adaptability required to future proof dynamically evolving software for these businesses.
This case study embodies a non-linear relationship between underpinning research, software development and deployment. It involves computer science research at UWE in conjunction with its applied development for the world's largest particle physics laboratory and onward deployment commercially into private sector industry.