Michael Barr is a
software engineer
Software engineering is a systematic engineering approach to software development.
A software engineer is a person who applies the principles of software engineering to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate computer software. The term ''p ...
specializing in software design for medical devices and other
embedded system
An embedded system is a computer system—a combination of a computer processor, computer memory, and input/output peripheral devices—that has a dedicated function within a larger mechanical or electronic system. It is ''embedded'' ...
s. He is a past editor-in-chief of Embedded Systems Design magazine and author of three books and more than seventy articles about embedded software.
Barr has often worked as an expert witness, including testifying in the
Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
Sudden Unintended Acceleration
Sudden unintended acceleration (SUA) is the unintended, unexpected, uncontrolled acceleration of a vehicle, often accompanied by an apparent loss of braking effectiveness. Such problems may be caused by driver error (e.g., pedal misapplication), ...
litigation. In October 2013, after reviewing Toyota's source code as part of a team of seven engineers, he testified in a jury trial in Oklahoma that led to a "guilty by software defects" finding against Toyota. There are several technical articles that discuss the various
electronic throttle control
Electronic throttle control (ETC) is an automobile technology which electronically "connects" the accelerator pedal to the throttle, replacing a mechanical linkage. A typical ETC system consists of three major components: (i) an accelerator ped ...
defects he testified were linked to unintended acceleration that caused deaths in
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact car, compact in size (narrow-body ...
vehicles.
Earlier in his career, Barr testified as an expert witness in the
DirecTV
DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California, El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary ...
anti-piracy
end user litigation, which involved over 25,000 end users.
[ He has also worked as a testifying expert witness in other high-profile litigation involving software, such as SmartPhone Technologies vs ]Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus '' Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ances ...
and in a copyright dispute about EA's early Madden Football video game source code.
Barr began his career working as an embedded programmer at Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar. It is headquartered in Germantown, Maryland and provides satellite internet service. HughesNet has over 1.3 million subscribers in the Americas.
History
Hughes Communication ...
, where he wrote software for products including the first-generation Hughes-branded DirecTV
DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American Multichannel television in the United States, multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California, El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary ...
receiver, which sold in the millions of units. He subsequently wrote embedded software at TSI TelSys, PropHead Development, and Netrino. His three books are ''Programming Embedded Systems in C with GNU Development Tools'', ''Embedded Systems Dictionary'' (co-authored by Jack Ganssle), and "Embedded C Coding Standard".University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the Flagship un ...
in College Park, from which he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1994 and a Master of Science degree in 1997.[
]
References
External links
Barr Code
blog
Barr Group
website
magazine (formerly Embedded Systems Programming)
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
University of Maryland, College Park alumni
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