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Industrial Controls
Barr Group's industrial controls experts provide failure analysis, design/safety reviews, and testimony for litigation relating to control systems and robotics for manufacturing and other industrial processes. Our experts combine industry experience as designers of electronic systems and software with the credentials and composure needed for courtroom success.
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Robotics and Factory Automation
Barr Group's industrial controls expert witnesses are highly qualified software engineers, electrical engineers, and mechanical engineers who are experienced in the design of robotics and factory automation equipment for a range of industries from food and pharmaceuticals production to fossil fuel and solar energy generation and distribution to automobile and electronics assembly lines. As professional designers of reliable and secure embedded systems, Barr Group is knowledgeable in IEC 61508 and other functional safety standards that apply to industrial controls and automation systems as well as the following technologies:
- Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems
- Programmable Logic Controls (PLCs) a/k/a "ladder logic"
- Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
- Open Smart Grid Protocol (OGSP) and ISO/IEC 14908
- IEC 61158 "Fieldbus" networks for real-time distributed control
- DeviceNet and CANopen interoperability network software
- Environmental monitoring and remote sensing technologies
- Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) per IEC 61511 (ISA 84)
- Machine Vision (MV) for automated process and quality control
- Computer Numeric Control (CNC) and 3-D printing
- ANSI/RIA R15.06 and other robotics safety considerations
- Electrical interlocks, failsafes, and machine guarding
Barr Group's expert witnesses are familiar with all of the operating systems used in industrial controls, including real-time operating systems like VxWorks and QNX as well as Linux and Windows, and also the languages used to program these systems such as assembly, C/C++, and Labview. And we are just as comfortable with electronic circuit and mechanical design.
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Expert Witness Services
Barr Group's industrial controls experts support plaintiffs and defendants in litigation in U.S. District Courts, at the International Trade Commission (ITC), and before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Our services include:
- Technical assistance with drafting of discovery requests
- Software source code review and analysis
- Source code comparisons for copyright and trade secret theft
- Analysis of electronics and related design documents
- Review of mechanical designs and safety interlocks
- Comparison to IEC 61508 and other functional safety standards
- Prior art review for patent invalidity
- Reverse engineering, including disassembly of binary code
- Forensic analysis and malfunction reconstruction
- Expert reports, declarations, and witness statements
- Testimony at deposition, oral hearings, and trials
Barr Group has a demonstrated ability to quickly activate one or more code reviewers to match the size, scope, and complexity of any project. And our team includes licensed Professional Engineers (P.E.s).
The following is a representative subset of Barr Group's experts who have experience designing and/or testifying about these technologies:
Communication Theory and DSP Expert Profile
Microwave and RF Electronics Expert Profile
SCADA Industrial Process Control Expert Profile
End-to-End Network Architecture Expert Profile
Advanced Military Radar Systems Expert Profile
Digital Cellular Mobile Radio Expert Profile
Cloud / Network Storage Device Expert Profile
Automated Conveyor Systems Expert Profile
Computer Vision and Perception Expert Profile
Industrial Automation Robots Expert Profile
Wireless Power Transfer Expert Profile
Spread Spectrum Communications Expert Profile
GPS-Guided UAV Flight Systems Expert Profile
Computer Music and Multimedia Expert Profile
Automotive Vehicle Dynamics Expert Profile
Thermal Management Heat Transfer Expert Profile
Electronic Vehicle Controls Expert Profile
Electric Power Conditioning Expert Profile
Software Design Review Expert Profile
Airbag and Vehicle Telematics Expert Profile
Streaming Multimedia Expert Profile
Image and Facial Recognition Expert Profile
Adaptive Control Systems Expert Profile
Mechanical and electrical engineering consultant and professor with decades of experience in systems for automated industrial control and intelligent transportation. Significant expertise in adaptive control and intelligent transportation systems as well as nonlinear systems, vehicle dynamics and control, marine transportation, and neural networks.
Vehicle Informatics & Safety Expert Profile
Battery Design & Testing Expert Profile
Experienced electrochemist, consultant, and adjunct professor of materials science and engineering. Has extensive experience in research and industry for battery electronics, including new product development, manufacturing and testing, applications engineering, as well as battery system design.
Battery Failure Electrochemistry Expert Profile
Chemist and consultant with four decades of experience in the area of electrochemical energy related devices, including batteries, capacitors, fuel cells, electrolysis and corrosion. Has significant expertise in laptop, cell phone, and e-cigarette batteries, electric vehicles, and other applications of electrochemical energy storage. Expert working knowledge of electronics and laboratory instrumentation as applied to the testing of batteries, chargers, and battery-powered devices.
Cellular Wireless Air Interface Expert Profile
Professor of electrical engineering and computer science with decades of R&D experience in communications networks and wireless signal detection and estimation.
Speech-Based Interface & RFID Expert Profile
Consultant and former professor of computer science with decades of hands-on experience in speech recognition, IVR, RFID, streaming multimedia, and data encryption.
Speech & Voice Recognition Expert Profile
FDA Medical Software Quality Expert Profile
Former director of software engineering and independent consultant with deep experience in the medical products and telecommunications industries and FDA 510(k), ISO-13485, and IEC-62304 compliant software quality systems.
Surveillance Camera Networks Expert Profile
Stanford-educated professor of electrical engineering and computer science whose career in industry began at AT&T Bell Labs and has specialized expertise in cyber-physical systems, IoT technologies, and computer vision.
Manufacturing Automated Test Expert Profile
Registered Professional Engineer (PE) with several decades of hands-on industry experience developing products and software for industrial, consumer, enterprise, military, and medical applications.
Industrial PLC & SCADA System Expert Profile
Registered professional engineer and licensed electrical contractor with more than forty years of hands-on experience in UL and NEC-compliant electrical system design.
Energy Storage and Transfer Expert Profile
Professor of electrical and computer engineering with over twenty-five years of experience in materials science, systems engineering and design of microelectronics.
Vehicle Sensor & Electronics Expert Profile
Independent consultant and former professor of technical product management with decades of industry experience in automotive sensors, electronics, and systems.
Naval & Underwater Systems Expert Profile
Engineering consultant with nearly thirty years of hands-on software development experience designing products ranging from autonomous underwater robots to cable modems and set-top boxes.
Linux-Based Computer Systems Expert Profile
Space and Satellite Systems Expert Profile
Adjunct professor of computer science and independent consultant with decades of experience in the field of telecommunications and information security. Has specialized technical expertise in GPS, VPNs, digital and analog electronics including RF signals and antennas, data communications and networks including fiber-optics, cellular protocols, and communication satellites.
Smartphone Software & Apps Expert Profile
Computer engineer and consultant with more than two decades of industry experience developing software for embedded systems and mobile apps powered by Android, Linux, Windows, and real-time operating systems such as VxWorks.
Video Encoding & Streaming Expert Profile
PhD electrical engineer and data communications expert with three decades of professional industry and research experience in areas such as video encoding and imaging technologies, digital signal processing (DSP), lossless data compression, and computer security. Areas of specialized technical expertise also include Amazon AWS and other cloud computing platforms.
Software Quality Assurance Expert Profile
Independent consultant and former vice president of engineering with significant experience leading development of enterprise software systems, including systems for electronic payments, information management, and e-commerce. More than two decades of work in software industries and a strong background in core natural sciences to the analysis of neural networks and other complex mission-critical information management systems.
Lithium Battery Ultracapacitor Expert Profile
Chemist and portable power expert with thirty years of industry experience in the fields of lithium batteries and ultracapacitor technologies including management of the team that first commercialized lithium-ion battery technology in North America. Has worked at the leading edge of battery and supercapacitor technology throughout his career, having led battery R&D as well as testing and application engineering organizations.
Analog & Digital Electronics Expert Profile
Electronics and computer science expert with more than twenty-five years of hands-on experience analyzing, designing, and implementing real-time systems for commercial, industrial, and military applications. Has been chief architect or technical lead on numerous projects covering all aspects of the architecture and development of electronics (including circuit boards and FPGAs), embedded software, network and communication protocols, and graphical user interfaces.
Penetration Testing Security Expert Profile
Airbag Propellant & Failure Expert Profile
Global Positioning Systems Expert Profile
Electrical engineer with substantial design experience in the fields of GPS and navigation systems, digital signal processing, semiconductors, image processing, and software-defined radio for airborne and ground-based systems and devices in the military, agricultural, industrial, and other markets. Experience includes technical team and architectural leadership for multiple product launches.
TCP/IP Internet Protocols Expert Profile
Software and systems engineer with several decades of hands-on experience in the design and implementation of complex embedded systems based on Linux, Windows, and real-time operating systems. Specialist in Internetconnected products such as consumer electronics and IoT devices using WiFi 802.11, GSM/LTE cellular, and other wireless and wired protocols. Also has experience with FPGAs and implementing M2M communications through the use of Microsoft .NET-based web services.
Autonomous Robot Navigation Expert Profile
Smart Grid Electrical Power Expert Profile
Professor of electrical and computer engineering with significant industry experience in telecom, aerospace/defense, security, and healthcare application domains. Director of a university program that supports NASA’s Johnson Space Center and co-director of a connected infrastructure program that prototypes smart grid, smart energy, smart transportation, and other smart city projects. Research relates to those and other topics that touch on embedded computing systems and communication and networking protocols.
Battery Chemistry Expert Profile
Technology consultant with more than thirty years of experience in battery, materials, and control system technology and strong capabilities in all aspects of battery systems and energy storage.
Settop On-Screen Guide & DVR Expert Profile
Electronic Casino Games Expert Profile
Founder and president of an independent regulatory-compliance testing laboratory with over thirty years of experience in the testing and evaluation of electronic devices including gaming systems. Proficient in a wide range of programming languages and operating systems. A frequent speaker and presenter at gaming industry trade shows and conferences who has also been qualified to testify as an expert witness of electronic gaming devices in a variety of venues.
Ultrasound Medical Imaging Expert Profile
Former assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and Oxford-educated materials scientist whose areas of specialized technical expertise include design of semiconductors and other electronics and sensors and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) as well as signal and image processing. Industry experience includes working for and consulting with multinationals such as General Electric, Medtronic, Fujifilm, Samsung, and Siemens on projects relating to medical devices, consumer electronics, biometric security, clean-tech, and electrical power delivery.
Electronics Source Code Review Expert Profile
GPS & Navigation Systems Expert Profile
Microprocessor Design Expert Profile
FPGA & Semiconductor Design Expert Profile
Electrical engineer and independent consultant specializing in the design of microcontroller-based embedded control systems, especially those with a wireless communications requirement.
Battery & Power Electronics Expert Profile
Electrical engineer and expert in battery and power electronics technology with special technical expertise in motor drives and inverters.
Medical Device Design Expert Profile
Engineer with over thirty-five years of experience designing electronics and software for consumer electronics products and safety-critical medical devices.
Audio Signal Processing Expert Profile
Over forty years of academic and engineering experience and twenty years of expert witness experience in computer science, software development, embedded systems, enterprise software, and especially signal processing for audio and music technology.
Cloud Computing Architectures Expert Profile
Embedded Software Design Expert Profile
Former adjunct professor of computer engineering with more than twenty-five years of experience in the software industry, including over a decade spent developing software for embedded systems.
Military Systems Design Expert Profile
Embedded systems industry veteran who built or managed the development of more than one hundred computer products.
Former adjunct professor of computer engineering with more than twenty-five years of experience in the software industry, including over a decade spent developing software for embedded systems.
Professor of electrical and computer engineering with over twenty-five years of experience in materials science, systems engineering and design of microelectronics.
Engineering consultant with nearly thirty years of hands-on software development experience designing products ranging from autonomous underwater robots to cable modems and set-top boxes.
Over forty years of academic and engineering experience and twenty years of expert witness experience in computer science, software development, embedded systems, enterprise software, and especially signal processing for audio and music technology.
Former director of software engineering and independent consultant with deep experience in the medical products and telecommunications industries and FDA 510(k), ISO-13485, and IEC-62304 compliant software quality systems.
Electrical engineer and independent consultant specializing in the design of microcontroller-based embedded control systems, especially those with a wireless communications requirement.
Electrical engineer with substantial design experience in the fields of GPS and navigation system
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