Barnard Microsystems Limited

Photo from http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/index.asp

The MoD Grand Challenge was inspired in part by the DARPA Grand Challenges.

• Specification of the task to be accomplished
• Barnard Microsystems Team Members
• Team HQ location
• Infrastructure

The following excerpts come from documents posted on the MoD Grand Challenge site at http://www.challenge.mod.uk/

The finale

The scoring

For more information on the rules for the finale, please see http://www.challenge.mod.uk/Rules.aspx

Examples of the four types of threats to be detected, from “Grand_Challenge_Team_How_to_Enter_and_Rules.ppt” and from “Professor_Sir_Roy_Anderson_-_Keynote_Address.ppt” documents on the MoD web site.

Copehill Down Village

from http://www.films.mod.uk/image.asp?img=Copehill%20Down

The flight plan could be worked out from Google Earth, or any better maps that might be available.

Location is 51º 12' 26.43" N and 1º 58' 35.45" W

Download a higher resolution copy of the above map.

UAV flight regulations

MoD Grand Challenge

Guidance notes – UAV legal issues

The operation of UAVs in the UK civil environment, such as during development, is governed by the Air Navigation Order, which is implemented and enforced by the Civil Aviation Authority. The following documents may be of assistance to teams:

• CAP 393 The Air Navigation Order, available from the CAA website here: http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP393.PDF
• Further guidance specifically relating to UAVs is available from the CAA here: http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP722.PDF

In particular, teams might wish to note the definition of a “Small Aircraft” in Article 155 and also note the contents of Article 164 and the referred ANO Articles.

It should be noted that the CAA guidance on model aircraft, CAP 658, does not cover the use of small aircraft for non-recreational use. Teams should also note the requirements of ANO Article 98 (2) (e) and also ANO Article 157 relating to aerial work and seek clarification as to whether permission may be required from the CAA.

UAVs in this competition will be classified as civil aircraft. Their operation within the military controlled environment of the competition site will be subject to regulations that are not significantly different from the civil requirements referenced above.

Teams will be asked to provide sufficient information about their equipment to allow a safety and risk assessment to be performed before they will be allowed to operate within the designated competition airspace.

Teams may wish to specifically note the broad scope of ANO Article 74 with regard to the need for a robust safety and risk assessment.

Download a copy of the document from the Grand Challenge Project Manager, Andy Wallace

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Team Member information is next. The Barnard Team Project Manager is Dr Joe Barnard.

Managing Director, Barnard Microsystems Limited

• Ph.D. Cornell University, USA, in Electrophysics
• Location: London
• Team role:

• Team Project Manager
• business development
• microwave and optoelectronic circuit design and test

• Technical skills:

• microwave (d.c. to around 30 GHz) device, circuit and systems design and development
• optoelectronic (up to around 15 Gbps, also coherent optics) system design and development
• technical software development using the C language

• Contact Dr Joe Barnard .

• Technical Director, Partner Electronics Limited
• Location: Towcester, Northamptonshire
• Team role:

• firmware development for Precision Navigation Unit
• telephotography technology development, using high bandwidth data link

• Involvement in a personal capacity
• Location: Burnside, Adelaide, South Australia
• Team role:

• model plane expertise
• advisor on helicopter technology

• Undergraduate student, going into third year in Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial College in London
• Location: London
• Team role:

• flight control system (FCS) design and development
• high sensitivity GPS system development
• command and control and telemetry link design and development

• Involvement in a personal capacity
• Location: Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Team role:

• Development of circuit schematics and PCB layout for Precision Navigation Unit
• Contribution to firmware programming and testing of Precision Navigation Unit

• Technical Director, Partner Electronics Limited
• Location: Towcester, Northamptonshire

• Team role:

• robust, high bandwidth, duplex data link development
• ultrasonic and LIDAR altimeter technology development
• FPGA development support
• test systems development

• Involvement in a personal capacity
• Location: Reading

• Team role:

• Advisor: microprocessor firmware, radio control and small engines

• LLB at the University of London; Barrister
• Location: London
• Team role:

• finance
• coverage of regulatory and legal aspects

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The Barnard Microsystems Team Headquarters is in North London, about 2 km from the Highgate Underground station on the Northern line.

- image from Google Earth

The GPS location of our London Office is 51º 34' 40.48" N and 0º 07' 24.80" W.

Find us using Google Maps.

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Microwave PCB design using the WaveMaker microwave layout and circuit simulation software developed at Barnard Microsystems Limited

Ability to characterise the operation of high performance optical, R.F. and microwave communications systems from near d.c. to 26.5 GHz

Flight Test Area in North London at 3 pm on Friday 3 ^rd of August 2007.

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