Sebastian Crookes - Work Experience Student 04-08-2024
Earlier this year, we had Sebastian Crookes join us for 3 days of work experience. Sebastian is a student at Shebbear College in North Devon, and is currently between the first and second year of his A-levels. Sebastian has an interest in low-level programming and has completed complex projects such as writing his own simple operating system (with multithreading!) and an engine sound simulator, which generates an accurate engine sound based on the size of the cylinder and other parameters. Essentially, he was the perfect fit for work experience.
Divna Fernando - Placement Student 04-07-2024
In July 2024, Divna Fernando joined Xor Systems as a full-time placement student. She is studying at The University of the West of England, Bristol, where she has completed her second year of Robotics.
Born and raised in Sri Lanka, Divna developed a profound interest in mathematical subjects and technology from a young age, sparking a lifelong journey of exploration and innovation at the intersection of these fields.
New Team Member - Joe Fretwell 14-06-2024
Joe Fretwell has joined us as a software engineer.
Joe comes from Macclesfield, and has recently moved to Bristol. Joe read Physics at the University of Durham. While there, he conducted research into Gamma Ray emissions from hyper-velocity stars. We don't understand it either!
Joe is keen to learn new skills, and has already been involved with two different ongoing projects here. With some experience in Python, he has quickly picked up web development and WPF development for Windows.
Outside of work, Joe is a keen pianist, saxophonist, and clarinet player. He also enjoys knitting, crotcheting, and taking part in table-top roleplaying games. He has also worked as an actor.
He had this to say about joining us -
"I am really excited to join Xor Systems and develop my software engineering skills. I look forward to experiencing Bristol as a city as well, and am keen to develop skills I can take onwards in my career."
Thanks Joe, we are glad to have you.
Phased arrays 01-06-2024
Phased array antennae have transformed the fields of radar systems, satellite communications, and wireless networks in recent years. Their beam steering and ability to engage with multiple targets simultaneously have enabled advancements in various fields. The conventional type of radar is one with a rotating scanner. These can be seen, for example, at airports and on Royal Navy vessels, a banana shaped disk spinning rapidly. Phased array antenna are distinctive because they don't rotate, they are a fixed flat plane. Actually, some Navy ships do have rotating flat planes, but that is to ensure adequate coverage. The panel is itself flat and can control the beam.
Dylan - Work Experience Student 12-5-2024
Every summer, we at Xor Systems endeavour to give Work Experience placements to local students interested in embedded systems, IoT, and computer science. We do this to encourage young people to pursue careers in STEM, and to help foster an interest in embedded systems.
This week, we have had Dylan join us from Cotham School in central Bristol. Dylan is a year 10 student and has an interest in computer science. He is also studying History and French along with other subjects for his GCSEs. Dylan contacted us in February in order to arrange his placement with a firm in the Bristol area as part of his school's work experience program. When he arrived, he had good knowledge of Python programming and general Computer Science topics, but had no experience with embedded systems or C/C++.
Rocco Gibbons - Work Experience 22-11-2023
This week at Xor, we have had Rocco Gibbons with us for 5 days of work experience. Rocco studies computer science triple science and further maths for his GCSE selected subjects at Sir Bernard Lovell Academy, in South Gloucestershire.
Xor Systems makes a point of taking on several students each year for work experience as we believe in investing in the future of our industry. During this week, we ran through a series of activities that will introduce Rocco to the concepts of embedded systems.
Over his week with us, Rocco detailed the activities that he found particularly interesting in his notes which are presented below.
Satellites & the Internet of Things 12-08-2023
Satellite communications are a critical component of modern communication systems, providing global coverage and enabling connectivity in remote and hard-to-reach areas. In recent years, the Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a new paradigm in which billions of devices and sensors are connected to the Internet, creating an interconnected network of devices that can communicate with each other and with the cloud.
For IoT applications that require wide-area coverage, such as asset tracking, environmental monitoring, and precision agriculture, satellite communications offer a reliable and cost-effective solution. Satellites can provide connectivity in areas where terrestrial networks are unavailable or unreliable, making them ideal for applications in remote and rural areas.
Satellite communications for IoT are still a relatively new and evolving field, with ongoing efforts to improve satellite technology and reduce the cost of connectivity. As the demand for IoT connectivity continues to grow, satellite communications are likely to play an increasingly important role in enabling global IoT deployments.
Fibre-optic Communication 04-08-2023
Fibre-optic transmission has revolutionised communication across the globe. What is it, how does it work, and why is it used in place of electrical transmission?
Fibre-optic communication is a way of transmitting data through a cable using visible or infrared light. It was first proposed as a method of communication by scientists at Tohoku University in Japan in the 1960s. The process of fibre optic communication involves shinning light down a thin cable made from an electromagnetically-permeable material called optic fibre, which is made from either plastic or glass. The data to be communicated is used to modulate a carrier wave (a high frequency, pure tone sine wave) for more efficient transmission. This carrier wave is then 'decoded' by the receiver, which can then use the the received data freely (this process will be described in more detail in an upcoming article on Fast Fourier Transforms).
PID Control 18-07-2023
Have you ever wondered how machines and robots are able to maintain their position or speed? One of the key components in achieving this is through a control system called PID control. PID control is a widely used technique in the field of engineering and automation that allows machines to maintain a desired setpoint despite external disturbances or changes in the system.
Oscar Clausen - Work Experience 14-7-2023
This week we had Oscar with us for a week of work experience. Oscar is a student from KLB (Katharine Lady Berkeley) school in Wotton-under-Edge, studying mathematics and computer science for his GCSEs. He has a particular interest in programming and embedded systems and has some experience working in Python from his education.
Xor Systems believes that investing in the future of our sector means introducing youngsters to the world of embedded systems and programming for hardware, early in their learning career. This also serves as an opportunity to familiarise them with a professional working environment.
Spectrometry 10-07-2023
Top left is a photo of a human eye.
Source: (October 2, 2005) Wikipedia Commons:
Bottom right is a die shot of a linear CCD.
In many industries and application areas, spectroscopy methods are used to identify compounds by comparisons with reference spectra. For example, recording UV and NIR spectrograms have been standard methods in forensic investigations for many decades. The important element is the comparison. A library of reference spectra allows comparison to be made between a captured spectra and a reference, to identify the compound. It's a simple case of pattern matching.
A spectrum analyser is a vital piece of equipment in electronics design, especially in radio equipment. The ability to monitor power against frequency is vital. A spectrum analyser can be used for multiple applications such as voice and data communications (like cellular radio or radio communications); video broadcast distributed via satellite using DVB-S and DVB-S2 formats, and digital video broadcast using the DVB-T format; radar, like radar transmitter test analysis; and spectrum management and interference hunting. We have some experience with UWB (ultra wideband).
We are particularly interested in optical spectrometry, which is used to measure light intensity in the ultraviolet (UV), visible (VIS), near-infrared (NIR), and infrared (IR) range of the electromagnetic spectrum.
25 More Years at Xor Systems 07-07-2023
We have just celebrated the 25th anniversary of Xor Systems. In the two articles that we have published for the milestone, we discussed the changes that have happened in the technology sector since our founding in 1998, and the significant developments in the year 1998 itself. In this article, we will be looking to the future and discussing what we believe the future has in store for the world of technology.
Celebrations tend to look back and nostalgia is a wonderful feeling. To some extent, it is uninteresting looking backwards, it is far more interesting to look forward and guess at what future technology might look like. Reviewing the last 25 years shows the enormous leaps made by technology. What will the next 25 years bring?
Charlie Shelley - Work Experience 3-7-2023
Last week, we welcomed Charlie Shelley, who spent some time with us while on work experience.
Charlie studies at Kings of Wessex Academy in Cheddar, Somerset. The Academy is on the site of a 13th century Saxon palace, built in the time of King Alfred the Great. Charlie is interested in Computer Science and programming. While he was with us we gave him tasks centred around embedded programming, and asked him to keep a diary of how he got on. Read on to see how he found it...
Nick Fairburn - Placement Student 19-06-2023
In June 2023, Nick Fairburn has joined us for a placement year from The University of the West of England, Bristol, where he is in his second year of studying Robotics.
25 Years at Xor Systems 10-01-2023
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Xor Systems, on 31st May 2023, we decided to look back at the history of technology over the lifespan of the company. In this article, we will focus on the major events in the world of technology since the year of our founding, in 1998.
The beginning of Xor Systems 30-05-2023
Xor Systems is celebrating 25 years. To commemorate this achievement, we have been looking back at the history of technology over our company's lifespan. In this article, we will focus on the cutting-edge, the mundane and the nonexistent technology in the year that our company was founded, 1998.
Need for Speed 10-05-2023
This week on Wednesday the Bristol and Bath Science Park hosted an event with F1 in Schools. F1 in Schools is a STEM organisation that challenges students to produce small-scale vehicles to race against other teams from across the globe to see who can produce the fastest vehicle.
Jess - Work Experience Student 3-4-2023
Xor Systems believes in investing in people to help build our industry's future. To this end, we try and host several students every year so that they can get the experience of working in the software and engineering industry.
This week, we had Jess Butler working with us at Xor Systems. Jess is a student from Katherine Lady Berkeley (KLB) school in Wotton-under-Edge. She is a year 10 student who is studying Design Technology and Computing as two of her module options. Jeff met her when he attended a Careers Convention at the school in September 2022. She was very quick to email to ask for a work experience week, separate from the week organised by the school. She is keen to learn from a number of different companies.
Over the week, Jess completed some tasks that we set for her involving the programming of microcontrollers in the C++ and Micro python languages. She recorded her activities over the week and has shared her logs with us here:
Xor Systems extends a warm welcome to our newest Team Member - Connor Colenso 3-4-2023
This week, we are excited to announce the latest addition to our team at Xor Systems. We extend a warm welcome to Connor, a talented and accomplished mathematics graduate from Plymouth University.
Connor's academic background also includes a partial Masters's degree in Mathematics from Birmingham University, where he studied Stochastic Calculus in Financial Markets. His passion for programming and proficiency in using C++ during his studies made Xor Systems an ideal destination for him to pursue his career. Connor's desire to expand his programming skills and apply his mathematics knowledge to practical projects were some of the key reasons that drew him to our company.
At Xor Systems, we believe in the power of diverse skill sets and backgrounds, and Connor's impressive abilities will further strengthen our team. We are confident that his expertise in mathematics and programming will prove invaluable to our mission to deliver high-quality software engineering services to our clients.
We are thrilled to have Connor onboard and look forward to working with him on our diverse array of projects at Xor Systems. We are committed to providing him with ample opportunities to grow and develop his skills as a software engineer, and we are confident that he will make a meaningful contribution to our company's success.
Yog - Work Experience Student 31-3-2023
At Xor Systems, we believe that investing in our industry’s future is best accomplished by investing in the people who will one day be working in it. To this end, Xor Systems takes on a number of students each year to build their experience and give them a taste of working in the engineering and technology sector.
This week we had Yog Nungra with us, a student from Broadlands Academy. He spent the week working through a series of challenges to write code to drive various pieces of hardware. While he did this, he kept a log of his activities which he has shared with us in this article:
ChatGPT 10-01-2023
Hello fellow programmers and tech enthusiasts! Have you ever wished that you had a magical tool that could understand your programming language and help you write code faster and more efficiently? Well, allow me to introduce you to GPT-3, the latest and greatest chatbot in the world of programming. With its advanced artificial intelligence, GPT-3 can understand and respond to your programming queries, making it an indispensable asset for any programmer. In this essay, we will explore the usefulness of GPT-3 in the field of programming and how it can help us code like never before. So, grab a cup of your favourite programming fuel (coffee, energy drinks, or whatever keeps you going) and let's dive in!
Xor Systems welcomes our newest Team Member - Cameron Tebbenham-Small 03-01-2023
The Xors team would like to extend a warm welcome to Cameron, our newest member.
Cameron joined us at the start of this year, on the 3rd of January, after recently completing his Digital Media course, at the University of the West of England, where he graduated with a first-class degree.
Will Ackland - Work Experience Student 2-12-2022
At Xor Systems, we are always excited about helping to get the next generation into engineering and software development. So throughout the year, we aim to host some students for work experience.
This week at Xor Systems, we had Will Ackland with us, a work experience student from Sir Bernard Lovell Academy. Will had some prior experience with writing code and we looked forward to broadening his experience this week.
Congratulations to Joseph Robbins on his graduation 15-11-2022
We are delighted to announce that one of our engineers, Joseph Robbins, has graduated from his BEng Robotics (with Honours) degree, at the University of the West of England, with a first-class degree. He attended the graduation ceremony held in Bristol cathedral, on 13th November 2022. We at Xor Systems wish to congratulate him on this achievement.
Since Joseph joined us in July of 2022 he has worked on a range of projects on both integrated systems and web applications. Throughout this time, he has proven an excellent addition to our team, and we look forward to working with him to build his technical skills and further his career in engineering.
UWE Careers Fair 15-11-2022
This week, Xor Systems attended the Engineering Careers Fair, held at the School of Engineering at the University of the West of England (UWE). As a company we believe that supporting the next generation of engineers is a crucially important activity. So, we were delighted to have the opportunity to interact with so many bright students and offer them the opportunity to apply for placement positions at Xor Systems and help them to further their career. The Fair was held in the atrium at the School of Engineering and involved ten of the largest engineering companies in the area - and Xor! Hundreds of students attended, in person, for a busy 2 hours.
Thomas Wiesenthal-Saunders - Work Experience Student
22-07-2022
In the month of July, Xor Systems aims to host several work experience students. We at Xor Systems believe strongly in working with young people, to foster future careers in STEM and inspire the next generation of engineering talent.
This week we were joined by Thomas, a student from St Mary Redcliffe school, who is taking computer science, triple science and product design as his GCSE options. He has previous experience of programming an ESP32 microcontroller with micro python. Over this past week, we have expanded on this knowledge base by introducing Thomas to the C programming language and two more microcontroller boards. We also introduced Thomas to the m-bed IDE. This is a program designed to aid in the writing of code for various microcontrollers.
Crookes radiometer 7-7-2022
Crookes radiometer is an interesting piece of equipment created in 1873 by William Crookes, and the topic of some conversation in our office, due to the sculpture featuring a large number of the devices in the atrium of the Bristol and Bath Science Park.
The apparatus is comprised of a glass bulb placed under a partial vacuum. Inside this bulb is an arrangement of 4 metal vanes, with one side silvered and the other covered in a black coating, placed on a freely rotating spindle. When exposed to sunlight, the apparatus will begin to spin.
Tom Bateson - Placement Student 4-7-2022
Tom joined Xor Systems this July as a full-time placement student. He is in his second year of studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of the West of England.
He has always enjoyed electronics, writing code and building things. alongside his studies, he has completed several personal projects such as a computer keypad or manufacturing a CNC router. This has allowed him to further his knowledge and abilities.
Tom has a background in writing MATLAB code from his engineering course at UWE. At Xor Systems, he hopes to develop his knowledge of other languages as well as professional practices in software and hardware development.
We look forward to working with Tom to develop his abilities as an engineer and help him to forward his career.
Josh Gillam - Work Experience Student 4-7-2022
In the month of July, Xor Systems takes on several work experience students as we believe that educating and inspiring the next generation of outstanding engineers is of the upmost importance. Through giving young people an experience of the workplace we help kindle a passion for software and technology as well as develop the critical thinking skills that they will need in their future careers.
This week we have taken on Josh, a year 10 GCSE student who is taking Computer Science and Engineering as 2 of his module options. Josh has a passion for learning and problem solving, and over this week at Xor Systems, we will help him develop his knowledge of programming and hardware.
Modern Spectroscopy 7-7-2022
One of the projects we are working on uses a solid state spectrometer, which has raised our knowledge of spectrometers, the interesting ways in which they have operated in the past and the unintuitive methods that modern systems use to function.
Spectroscopy is the process of breaking down a ray of light into its component wavelengths and analysing the intensity of light at each wavelength. This is a superbly useful tool for analysing, for example, the light coming from the stars in order to find the composition of a substance. However, in a much more down to earth way, it finds much greater use in analysing the composition of materials.
Joseph Robbins – Our newest team member 4-7-2022
Joseph has joined us at Xor Systems. He is a graduate BEng Robotics engineer from the University of the West of England. Throughout his academic career, he has specialised in embedded systems and microcontrollers and thus was a perfect fit for our team.
He completed his dissertation on the free energy principle in robotics and its application to the development of AI systems.
Joseph was drawn to our company as the work we do covers a wide range of fields including web-based systems and embedded systems. Through working with us at Xor Systems, Joseph hopes to gain experience in a broad variety of disciplines.
Congratulations to Shasini, our Electronic and Telecommunication Engineer 17-12-2021
We are pleased to announce that Shasini, our Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer, has earned her Masters degree from the University of Southampton, with a Distinction in the subject of "Internet of Things". Congratulations to Shasini on this fantastic achievement – we are proud to have her in our team!
We have specialised in embedded systems for over 20 years as a company for a wide range of projects, and Shasini, since she joined us in September, fits in perfectly. Together with the rest of our team of innovative engineers, Shasini contributes to the development of a great deal of expertise in data management, data visualisation and machine learning – cutting edge fields that are increasingly important in the industry. As a company, we are firmly placed to help businesses understand how IIoT (and Industry 4.0 and Edge Computing) can help them make smarter, more successful organisations ready to tackle the ever-changing digital environment.
We look forward to our future projects together!
On the Internet of Things MSc, students gain knowledge and practical skills in:
- the main elements of Internet of Things (IoT) systems and how to design and build them
An amazing run! 15-10-2021
Jeff Graham completed The Royal Parks Half in just under 2 hours, with a time of 1:57:26! For a first time half-marathoner, that is a very good result. Jeff was one of 22,500 runners taking to the start line of the iconic and picturesque Half Marathon through four of London's Royal Parks. The weather was nice and cool at the start, at 12 degC.
Jeff is an experienced runner who has run many races, but had never run a half marathon before and never run in such an iconic place. The route went past such icons as Trafalgar Square, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Place and round four of the Royal parks - Hyde Park, St James's Park, Green Park and Kensington Gardens. At one point, it meant running up the Mall toward Buckingham Palace, with every lamp-post adorned with a Union Jack - a magic moment! At every part of the course, spectators hung over the barriers to cheer the runners on; music blared out to give heart to the runners, in particular massed drummers pounding out a beat. Jeff has met the Batala Lancaster drumming band before, at an event at Staveley, in the Lake District and they had a place in Hyde Park.
Thank you to everyone who donated to MS Society! 08-10-2021
The weekend has arrived, and our Managing Director Jeff Graham is getting ready to travel to London to run The Royal Parks Half! Jeff is one of 22,500 runners taking to the start line of the iconic and picturesque Half Marathon through four of London's Royal Parks. We're excited to see that the weather looks set to be sunny and warm!
Jeff is an experienced runner who has run many races, but this one is very close to his heart for personal reasons. By taking part in the race, he is fundraising for the MS Society and his daughter Jenny. So far, Jeff has raised an incredible £985, and as we look ahead to the race day, we want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who donated; it means the world to Jeff, Jenny and their family!
Multiple Sclerosis is relentless, painful and exhausting, and there's currently no cure. The diagnosis was a devastating shock for then 23-year old Jenny and her family. Jenny has had numerous episodes over the years which have temporarily affected her sight and mobility, and she suffers daily from the condition. She has got on with life, dedicated to her career in nursing. Jenny cares for children with life-limiting conditions and has recently also become a clinical educator. She is a mother to Theo and a wife to Adam (which is probably her biggest job!). She has just got on with life, and as she says - what else can you do? You can't lock yourself away in a dark room. You have to get on with whatever life serves you up. And this is true for everyone diagnosed with MS.
James Barson- Placement Student 04-10-2021
James joined Xor Systems in July as a full-time placement student. He is studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of the West of England and is in his second year of study.
He has always had a fascination with technology and computers and has grown these skills in his spare time alongside his studies. To keep busy, James carries lots of projects at home, such as DIY smart lighting and an interactive coffee table, further reinforcing and developing his programming and technological skills.
James will be assisting the team in programming and design on our exciting projects.
We look forward to working with James and helping him further develop his skill set and knowledge in the industry and the workplace.
Jeff is running a Royal Parks Half for MS Society 20-09-21
We are very proud of our Managing Director Jeff Graham who is training hard to run the Royal Parks Half in London on October 10th.
Jeff has been running for years; with his fitness level, endurance, and love for running, he's been putting us all to shame! He has run many races, and it's always a pleasure to see how easily he overtakes other runners on many of them.
In about two weeks, on October 10th, Jeff will be running the Royal Parks Half Marathon in London for a cause that is very close to his heart. By taking part in the race, he is fundraising for the MS Society and his daughter Jenny, a remarkable young woman diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis 12 years ago. It was a devastating shock for then 23-year-old Jenny and her family.
Shasini Jasenthu Liyana - Our Newest Team Member 13-09-2021
In September, we welcomed Shasini, an Electronic and Telecommunication Engineer who specialises in communications and electronic systems.
Shasini is originally from Sri Lanka, and came to the UK to undertake, successfully, a Masters in IoT. She took this at University of Southampton. She originally graduated from the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, located in Ratmalana in Sri Lanka, with a BSc in Electronics & Telecommunication. After working professionally for 2 years, she decided to further her knowledge in IoT by moving to the UK.
After graduation, Shasini worked for 2 years for the Center for Urban Water in Sri Lanka on an IoT based system. This monitored Real Time weather station data and water quality monitoring sensors.
At her interview, Shasini became the first candidate to offer experience in monitoring elephants. One of the projects she worked on was an automated virtual elephant fence for detection, alarming and coordinated repulsion of wild elephants.
Max Wharton - Work Experience 10-09-2021
We welcomed Max for a week of work experience with us!
Max, currently a student at Katharine Lady Berkeley School (KLB) in Wotton under Edge, joined us for a week in July. This is his diary for the week.
Every year, here in Xor Systems we welcome a student for a week of work experience. The students spend their time in the office among employees of the company and work on small tasks, which combine software and hardware to solve a set problem. This year, we welcomed Max into our office. The experience for Max was different from the experience students from previous years would get. Max had the opportunity to experience how our team works and collaborates virtually and in person as some of our employees work from home. We think this gave Max a good insight into what a dynamic work environment involves and how our company adapted to the changes from the past year.
Something that our team enjoys is playing table tennis during the lunch break and Max was very enthusiastic to join us for the challenge! He showed his skills by winning a game against James with 12-10!
During the last day of his week, we asked Max a few questions about his experience with us.
Laurence Ketteringham - A New Team Member 09-11-2020
Laurence joined Xor Systems recently as a Software Engineer.
Hailing from the South East of England, via South Wales and Bahrain, Laurence gained an MEng in Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering from the University of Surrey before moving to Bristol.
He carried out research and consultancy at the University of Bristol’s Langford site, working in fields including refrigeration, food processing and systems control. Later, he moved to the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the centre of Bristol to undertake a PhD in “Measuring and controlling upper limb tremor in individuals with Multiple Sclerosis”, and subsequently carried out research and some teaching, in that subject and others.
Laurence also worked for a small engineering consultancy near Bristol. There, he developed software and hardware for controlling, monitoring, visualising, analysing and logging various systems and processes, including environmental chambers, refrigerant charging machines, and novel dataloggers.
Laurence came to Bristol for the work, and stayed for the art, history and friendly folk.
Adam - New Team Member 03-09-2020
In August of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, we welcomed Adam, a recent graduate from Heriot-Watt University with a Master’s in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
Adam will be starting as an embedded software engineer, a decision motivated by his involvement in multiple IoT projects such as a penguin egg prototype produced for Edinburgh Zoo.
Whilst completing his degree, Adam also worked as an electrical building services consultant for 6 years working on various high profile buildings in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London.
Nicki Ivanova - Placement Student 03-06-2020
In February we welcomed Nikoleta for a part-time internship and a full-time placement from the summer. She is studying BEng Robotics at the University of the West of England and she is in her 2nd year.
In 2016 she moved with her family to Kent, where she took her A-levels. Two years later she moved to Bristol to start university.
She is interested in recent smart technologies and their impact in the world, as well as the environmental impact they have. Her decision to study Robotics at university was because of her interest in technology and AI.
She likes to develop her creative skills by making digital illustrations, learning graphics design and marketing. Nicki will be helping us with the creation of new marketing material.
We look forward to working with Nicki and helping her develop her skills further and inspire her creativity.
Bloodhound - A brief history of speed
18-12-2019
Bloodhound. A name almost anyone should be familiar with, even if all they could say was “the fast car?”
Named for a now retired RAF missile system that saw 40 years of service, the Bloodhound project was conceived by Richard Noble, the previous land speed record holder (and former paint salesman) who headed the Thrust2 and ThurstSSC projects.
After the run in ‘83 which earned him the Seagrave Trophy, the record was broken by RAF pilot Andy Green in ‘97, becoming the first person to break the sound barrier undertaken the ThrustSSC at 1221 km/h, the successor to Noble’s Thurst2.
5G vs Fibre - Will wireless replace wired?
18-11-2019
For two decades, the internet has been slowly but surely dominating every aspect of our lives. Speeds have increased, prices have lowered and talks of YouTube buffering have been reduced to tales of myth and legend.
So when the next generation of network infrastructure could be... cellular, why would you want a wired network supplanted by wireless transmission? Because it matches or even exceeds cable broadband.
With a much smaller mast size and low power requirements, they’re able to be placed in far more locations through urban areas, offer comparable bandwidth to full fibre and are able to dynamically and intelligently filter and route types of traffic access into parallel streams to ensure bandwidth isn’t choked and everyone has a fair usage of the network. This all sounds too good to be true. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Trust and Ethics in Technology Part 3: Military Application of AI - Bristol Technology Festival 2019
11-11-2019
This week, our student engineer Luke attended a talk on Trust and Ethics in Technology, held at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. This was part of the Bristol Technology Festival, held in early November. The event was hosted by Lanciaconsult, under the banner of #beingrelevant2019 (see their site).
"The final talk of the evening was by Dr. Mark Baldwin, a.k.a Dr. Enigma. Mark was born in India, and spent much of his childhood in Africa.
Graduating from Cambridge, he worked on a variety of engineering projects, before enrolling at Imperial College, London, on a Masters’ course, during which time he was head-hunted to be a lecturer in the Civil Engineering Department.
A chance encounter with a book about the Enigma machine piqued his interest, which grew over the next 20 years to him becoming one of the world’s foremost experts in the history, human story, and workings of the machine.
Trust and Ethics in Technology Part 2: Military Application of AI - Bristol Technology Festival 2019
08-11-2019
This week, our student engineer Luke attended a talk on Trust and Ethics in Technology, held at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. This was part of the Bristol Technology Festival, held in early November. The event was hosted by Lanciaconsult, under the banner of #beingrelevant2019 (see their site).
"The second lecture of note was the "Military Application of Artificial Intelligence - A Matter of Human Dignity?". The title alone piqued my interest, and so did the speaker. Mark Phelps, an RAF lawyer currently writing his PhD started his speech by saying that some may disagree with his viewpoint on the use of AI, but that it was an important conversation to have going into the future.
Trust and Ethics in Technology Part 1: Ethical Intelligence - Bristol Technology Festival 2019
07-11-2019
This week, our student engineer Luke attended a talk on Trust and Ethics in Technology, held at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. This was part of the Bristol Technology Festival, held in early November. The event was hosted by Lanciaconsult, under the banner of #beingrelevant2019 (see their site).
"This particular talk raises the issue of trust.
Trust, until recently has never been as contentious an issue with the
public in the technology field.
"This particular talk raises the issue of trust.
Trust, until recently has never been as contentious an issue with the public in the technology field.
It's persisted for as long as companies have held your data in the digital
age, consumer ignorance toward safeguards meant that they were not
necessarily the go-to choice when deciding to use a service.
Outsourcing is more than sharing the load — it’s an invitation to
innovate
06-11-2019
I once heard about a couple of young guys who had a design business
together. They were great designers, but the brave conclusion they came to
was that neither of them was good at running a business. Nor had either of
them the stomach for evolving into the kind of person that was good at
running a business. They still wanted to be successful though, so they
outsourced the role they needed — they brought in their own boss.
If you'd like to read more, click here.
The right tools to solve problems
02-11-2019
How do you solve problems? For most engineers, it's at the heart of what we do, providing working solutions to interesting problems. And to solve problems, we need tools to measure, to allow us to analyse and process and refine. This applies mostly to hardware projects, with oscilloscopes and logic analysers and even the simple voltmeter coming into play. What is interesting is the same techniques apply to software, as we recently discovered.
We routinely use databases, whether large SQL databases on large servers or small lightweight databases on small embedded systems, like Redis or Influx. Understanding their internal workings and using them efficiently is of great interest, especially on compact, low power embedded systems.
Blown Wing Aircraft
24-10-2019
It was another of those conversations in the office. Tom has a background in aeronautical engineering, Jeff had found an article in a magazine and wanted to know more about the technology, especially in the use of small, powerful electric motors.
Blown wing is the principle of using the air generated by as a consequence of forward movement through it. This is re-directed down through nozzles over the rear edge of the wing, directing the flow downward, providing an increase to lift coefficient. In general, blown wing can improve the lift of a wing by two to three times. So why aren't they used everywhere?
South Gloucestershire Business Show 2019
03-10-2019
The South Gloucestershire Business Show was held at the Bristol and Bath Science Park, Bristol, on the 2nd and the 3rd of October.
A cyber security focused event, there were plenty of new start ups and some old partners of ours to see and talk to again.
We attended the seminars and took part in the session “Young Entrepreneurs – Motivating a generation”. It provides a platform through which businesses can form new collaborations, gain information, meet other businesses, speak to professional advisors and engage in action for business. All instrumental in securing information, ideas, and connections.
UWE Project Zulu 15-09-2019
Luke has spent a month in South Africa, in the KZN province teaching IT and building upon existing infrastructure for underfunded schools.
"There were over 55 students and staff from UWE Bristol - working on 10 school development projects across 2 township communities.
Groups ranging from Teachers, Film Crew, Engineers, IT to Medical students all had a variety of projects and tasks to attend to such as building clean, filtered water collection tanks, installing overhead projectors etc.
How would you navigate in space?
26-07-2019
We often have interesting technical discussions in the office - the team all have degrees in technical subjects, across a broad range of subjects, so conversations spring from all kinds of sources. In this case, we had an undergraduate physicist in the office, called Abi, who is specialisng in Astrophysics; Jeff and Tom are both sailors and expert in navigation, so the question arose : How do you navigate in space?
It's an interesting question. On Earth it's largely solved by using a GPS system. Some people keep their hand in by using bearings and even sextants. So, unsurpisingly, this is how they do it in Space. Even a sextant can be useful.
Tom Godwin - Work Experience 08-07-2019
We welcomed a work experience student to the Xor offices this month.
Tom, currently a student at Katharine Lady Berkeley School (KLB) in Wotton under Edge, joined us for a week in July.
Monday - I was very nervous on my first day. I didn't know what to expect. My nerves quickly settled after I met the team and had a tour around the Science Park with Jeff. I was quickly set to work and given a Mbed NXP Lpc1768 with tasks to complete throughout the day. These tasks ranged from turning on a LED, to making LEDS blink and to use two buttons to turn on and off the LEDS. Next I was set my final task for the day and that was to make the LEDS brightness change by changing the time that the LEDS are on and off. I tried to add two buttons (one to increase the on time of the LEDS and one to decrease) however I struggled.
Summer BBQ 03-07-2019
This month saw the departure of Mihai, after 2 years working at Xor Systems. We decided to mark his leaving, and also to celebrate summer, with a barbecue, held on the Science Park’s front garden.
Tom is one of our Software Engineers here at Xor Systems; not only is he a dab hand at code but he also turned out to be an amazing BBQ cook and organised the whole thing, set up the BBQ, brought badminton nets and great food. We had lovely weather, on the menu were beef, lamb and veggie burgers, potato salad, and other wonderful food.
Emily Brown - Work Experience 02-07-2019
We welcomed a Emily, a student on work placement to the Xor offices this month.
Emily, who's currently Bristol Cathedral Choir School, studying A levels, joined us for a week. It's always exciting for us to see enthusiasm from young students, when it comes to electronics and engineering. We gave Emily a few projects to tackle during his week with us, and asked her to keep a diary of how she got on. Here's what she said....
Monday I was very nervous for the first day, however, I was immediately made to feel very welcomed by the staff. Straight into trying new things, I started off trying to make LEDs light up and then do so in a sequence. I was then tasked to use buttons attached to the board to control the order of this sequence. After this, I used the buttons to create a dimming effect in one of these LEDs by changing the on-time as it flashes undetectably fast. Then we connected it to an oscilloscope to view this change as we pressed the buttons. After this, I got to experiment with a thunderbolt board to see the cool things that can be done with these boards such as changing the RGB LED colour. Then on a new board towards the end of the day, I moved onto writing text onto a LED screen. Between playing table tennis at lunch and what I was able to achieve, I left feeling more confident and ready for the week ahead.
Dave Bendall - Our Newest Team Member 01-07-2019
In July we welcomed Dave, a Chartered Engineer who specialises in communications and electronic systems.
With engineering experience in radio broadcasting, Air Traffic Control and tactical military communications systems, Dave has a strong interest in IoT technology and systems integration.
Originally from Scotland, he graduated from Newcastle University with an MEng in Electrical & Electronic Engineering and later Cranfield University with an MSc in Military Electronics Systems Engineering. Dave is a keen advocate of the STEM ambassador programme volunteering time and enthusiasm to inspire the next generation into the world of STEM subjects and careers.
When not at work Dave is usually renovating his house, playing or watching rugby (mostly watching) and enjoying the South Gloucestershire countryside with his wife and dog.
Abigail Alexander - 3 Month Internship 03-06-2019
Abi came to work for us for 3 months in the summer, on an internship. She is studying Physics at Exeter University, with a focus on Astrophysics.
Abi was looking to expand her knowledge and experience of programming and found a special aptitude in C# in a Windows environment. She loved her time working with us and we hope she’ll be back next summer. Not only did we improve her programming skills, but also bumped up her driving skills, the daily commute providing invaluable expertise.
We didn’t know until her last day working here that she found us and applied to work here because of her brother. He recommended she contact us, because he worked here when he was 15, for work experience!
Luke Clayton - Placement Student 03-06-2019
Joining us in June for his placement year is Luke.
He's studying BSc Computing for Embedded Systems at the University of the
West of England and has just finished his 2nd year.
His interest in IoT devices and UI sparked the choice to pursue a degree to
work with embedded devices.
Hailing from Lancashire, Luke started university in 2017 after working in graphic design and animation for 6 years for various media companies. A keen diver, he previously attended the University of Bournemouth studying Marine Archaeology.
We look forward to working with Luke and teaching him professional level skills that are sure to carry him forward beyond his degree.
South Gloucestershire Business Show 2018
05-10-2018
The South Gloucestershire Business Show was held at the Bristol and Bath Science Park, Bristol, over two days, 3rd and 4th October 2018. Xor Systems had a stand there and it was a great show! We met a lot of really interesting people, made new friends and caught up with old friends
Internship
23-07-2018
This month we welcomed James Scott to the team. James has joined us on a 3 month Internship from Bath University where he is studying for his MSc in Electronics System Design.
He has previously completed a degree at York University where he studied Electronic Engineering.
James is currently studying 3D localisation using UWB, building a prototype and then proving it out on a test rig.
Along side all of his studies, he's a keen cricketer, plays the piano and is a dab hand in the garden. There's no end to James' talents.
Work Experience
09-07-2018
Here at Xor Systems, we always encourage Work Experience placements from local schools. Jeff our Managing Director believes it's so important for students to experience the work environment when thinking about their career path. This month we welcomed Jake Ellis from the Katherine Lady Berkeley School in Gloucestershire. We thought Jake was fantastic, here's what he thought about spending a week with Xor Systems...
Monday - My first day of work experience! I was a little nervous coming into the office but the team were very welcoming. I was set to work pretty swiftly and was asked to copy the minutes from a recent meeting into a word doc. Later that day, I started soldering, wiring, and assembling the TI-RSLK robot with help from James.
Tuesday - Today I finished building the robot and installed Code Composer Studio, the associated IDE with the TI-RSLK. Turns out the instructions for the coding of the robot are perhaps the most user ‘unfriendly’ anyone has ever seen.
Wednesday - A long day of trying to reverse engineer the robot with Mihai, only to install a different, working compiler to program the robot. With Mihai’s help, I got a rough understanding of how the components are connected to the pins, and how those pins are referred to in c++. The robot now stops after one of its bump switches are activated.
Lunch and Learn
28-06-2018
The first Lunch and Learn was held at the Science Park. A great opportunity for tenants to get together and discuss the month's topic. The session was hosted by our fellow tenant and co-CEO of Amdaris Vlad Nanu. The subject was Blockchain, very informative and lots of questions answered, but so much more still to discuss. Looking forward to the next one.
Do yachts have sat-nav? 05-04-2017
Tom and Jeff are keen sailors and are working toward their qualifications.
Their aim is to rent or own a sailboat. So one of the conversations that came up in the office - can sailing boats be like airliners and sail point to point using a sat-nav? We know that modern boats have a lot of electronics onboard, with radar and GPS systems. And there are autopilot systems which will steer a given course and compensate for wind and tide. And they will have depth sensors to prevent embarrassing groundings.
South Gloucestershire Food Festival
18-05-2018
Is there a better way to end a long week than enjoying a cold beer, listening to local bands, and sampling award winning local foods. This year, for the first time, the Science Park were hosts to the South Gloucestershire Food & Drink Festival, so we obviously took full advantage of the weather and enjoyed some great entertainment in the sunshine. Can't wait for next year!!
Gloucestershire Business Show 16-17 May 2018
16-05-2018
The Gloucestershire Business Show was held at Cheltenham Racecourse, over 2 days, 16th and 17th May 2018. We had great success at last year's show, so couldn't wait to book our stand. It was a great show! Last year's giveaway of our 6-inch ruler was such a great success, we brought them along with us this year, and it proved to be a hit once again. We met a lot of really interesting people, made new friends and caught up with familiar faces.
We also designed a free gift for our visitors. We wanted something different to the usual branded USB sticks or mouse mats. We came up with a 6-inch ruler which contains switches, LEDs and a microcontroller. There are three sections on the ruler, and each section illustrates the basic components of a computer. There's a section that explains logic, a section that illustrates memory cells and a section that shows counting in binary.
The section that explains logic is really useful, because it offers Xor as an option. Use the 'Gate Select' button to choose the gate and then set the inputs A and B appropriately, and the output shows the result. This is really useful to be able to explain to people just what our company name means.
I was a little concerned about showing this, in case it came over as a little bit too geeky. However, it seems 'geeky' is OK these days, because the overall reaction I've had from those seeing our ruler, is one of absolute delight! Even top-level chip designers were impressed enough to take one away. One guy came back on the second day of the show, to ask if he could have a second ruler. Apparently, he had taken the ruler home and given it to his son, and given his daughter other items he had collected, like highlighter pens and notebooks. His wife was not too impressed with this sexist approach and insisted that their daughter should be treated equally. Another client had given a ruler to his son and his son had taken it into school, because they were learning different counting systems, and binary was one of them.
Define the problem
20-10-2017
Picture 1
A conversation I frequently have with clients is "what exactly is the problem you're trying to solve?". When we first begin working together, clients start with a definition of their problem, as they understand it. So often, we find that this isn't actually the problem, it is something deeper or it is something different. It is vital we all understand the problem we're trying to solve.
An example of this that might explain it better occurred to me recently, when I was off on a sailing trip. I'm doing lots of trips on yachts to build up my sea miles, to extend my experience under different weather and tide conditions and under different skippers. Every skipper I've met has had a certain way of doing things, built up from their experience and their preferences. On every boat I've been on, the overriding principle is 'shipshape', the boat always has to be tidy, ropes stored away neatly, fenders arranged tidily.
South Gloucestershire Business Show 2017
19-10-2017
The South Gloucestershire Business Show was held at the Science Park, Bristol, over 2 days, 4th and 5th October 2017. Xor Systems had a stand there and it was a great show! We had new branding, a new brochure, a brilliant design for the stand and a great giveaway. We met a lot of really interesting people, made new friends and caught up with old friends
South Gloucestershire Business Show 31-08-2017
Preparations are well under way for the latest South Gloucestershire Business Show SGBS being held here at the Bristol & Bath Science Park on 4 - 5 October 2017. The event has been designed as an opportunity for companies large and small, from all across the business sectors to interact, share ideas and discuss their businesses. There are so many seminars and workshops going on over the course of the two days, it looks like we're going to have a busy couple of days.
If you would like further information on the event, or to book a stand, take a look at their website We're on stand Gd4, we hope to see you there!
Things Camp 3 11-04-2017
Andris and Tom went to check out Things Camp 3 over the weekend. The gathering was hosted at @Bristol, down by the Harbourside and promised an interesting unconference style meetup. For others also new to this concept, an unconference is a participate-driven meeting. Those attending, pitch sessions at the start of day and these sessions get compiled into a timetable.
Do yachts have sat-nav? 05-04-2017
Tom and Jeff are keen sailors and are working toward their qualifications. Their aim is to rent or own a sailboat. So one of the conversations that came up in the office - can sailing boats be like airliners and sail point to point using a sat-nav? We know that modern boats have a lot of electronics onboard, with radar and GPS systems. And there are autopilot systems which will steer a given course and compensate for wind and tide. And they will have depth sensors to prevent embarrassing groundings.
Exciting Partnership 19-01-2017
We are proud to have recently become members of CFMS. They are a leading organisation who specialise in advanced modelling and simulation to achieve high end design capability. CFMS act as a central clearing house within the Bristol & Bath Science Park, to coordinate design activity among businesses in Bristol and the South West. Revolving around the high value design community, their networking, awareness and events programme enables the improvement of design capability while enhancing brand visibility and business opportunity.
We are looking forward to our partnership with CFMS and our future business opportunities.
Robotics Tournament - Bristol 11-01-2017
Jake, one of our Software Engineers, took a day out of the office last week to judge at the annual First Lego League based in Bristol. This is a UK-wide League, aimed at school children. They were put into teams, and asked to research and solve problems, by programming and testing an autonomous robot. This was carried out with limited resources and within a time limit.
What a fantastic way to introduce children to Science & Technology in a way every child can relate to - Lego!
Take a look at their website to find out more.
Employment Fair 13-10-2016
Another year has been and gone and once again we've enjoyed meeting the students from University of the West of England (UWE) at their annual Employment Fair. A great chance to meet new faces, and maybe even the opportunity of recruiting a graduate or finding a placement student. It's a well organised affair with a significant number of good students.
This year, our cupcakes were a huge success!
New Team Member 26-09-2016
Introducing our newest member of the team, Tom has recently graduated from Southampton University with a Masters in Aeronautics & Astronautics, and is joining us as a Software Engineer. We look forward to putting Tom's numerous talents to good use.
Here at Xor we love to discover new talent. Jeff, our Managing Director is always on the look out for talented students who are interested in doing a placement. One such student is Andris who is now working for us full time.
Location Location Location 01-09-2016
Does the location of your company really make a difference when it comes to winning new contracts? After a recent relocation to the Bristol & Bath Science Park, which by the way is perfectly positioned, in terms of like minded creative companies such as ourselves, we've noticed a significant increase in potentially new and exciting business.
Is this a coincidence?